Adventures in Time and Space
by My sanity
Summary: The adventures of Barbara and Ian with the First Doctor, from their trial by fire to their final goodbyes. This covers the serials from An Unearthly Child to The Chase. Each chapter is roughly one episode from the show.
1. An Unearthly Child

A vague, slowly-moving figure came forward walking through the fog as a large bell could be heard ringing. Polished black boots reflected some of the light coming from the torch the figure was moving back and forth along the way. As the figure moved closer the uniform came better into view revealing a patrol officer. He stopped to open an unlocked wicket in the junkyard gate beside him and peered around shining the torch throughout the area before closing the gate and moving on. The junkyard was quite crowded with various pieces of furniture, yard tools, lumbar, and one blue police box. On the gate in some faded paint reads M. Foreman Scrap Merchant. Some significantly newer pain just off center read "Private."

* * *

Coal Hill School. Inside, the bell rang and students began filing out of the classroom into the hallway. Two girls were the first out and were chatting as they walked both looking down at something one of them was holding. The students were in their final year of compulsory schooling in Britain ranging either fourteen or fifteen years of age. A woman, their teacher, stepped out into the hallway looking back to someone still inside. "Wait in here Susan, I won't be long," she called out, holding a few books to her chest. One of the boys from the next wave of students out of the room peered over the female students' shoulders to find a picture of the pop singer Frank Ifield. He then made a comment that wrinkled their noses and walked off to join his friends. The girl holding the picture rolled her eyes, unaffected, and then whispered something into her friend's ear making her giggle before they walked off. Another student coming out of the room handed the teacher a paper with a question about the assignment. Marking something off with her pen, the teacher ushered the girl on her way.

"Goodnight, Ms. Wright," the girl called back over her shoulder.

"Good night," the teacher responded.

Taking a few steps down the hallway, the teacher knocked on the very next door before stepping into the teachers' lounge. The room was decorated with various educational charts and posters with a couple of tables for the teachers to use. Atop the tables were mostly books and papers, but there were some unique to the teacher and subject being taught. One had various crafts and little figurines atop of it, another with a few small instruments and sheet music. Absently she reached up a hand to smooth a couple strands of her short bouffant down. Just across from the door sat man similar in age, working on some papers at a table littered with test tubes and beakers. The sound of the closing door caused him to look up curiously.

"Not gone yet?" he asked, turning back to his papers with a smile.

"Obviously not," she primly replied, walking to an adjoining table to set down her books and papers.

His smile turned wry, "Ask a silly question…" he trailed off.

Apologetically she smiled at him. "I'm sorry," she softened.

"It's alright," he laughed. "I'll forgive you this time." He continued to mark off papers before him and cast an assessing look at her. "You know, when I've had a bad day I come in here and feel I want to smash all the windows," he started, focusing on her tense posture.  
"This hasn't been a bad day," she said, finally sitting down and absently rubbed at her hand.

"So you're just naturally like that then?" he teased.

"I hope not," she wasn't quite sure what he was referring to, but smiled again and tried to seem more relaxed. "No, I've had another kind of day. A puzzling kind of day."

"What's the trouble? Can I help?" he asked.

"Oh, it's one of the girls, Susan Foreman." She was quite hesitant to talk about this issue. It had only been five months since she had started working at this school. Susan had been new to the area and they had started on the very same day together. Because of this, she had felt a closeness with the girl and a close friendship had developed.

"Susan Foreman?" He looked up in surprise, setting down his papers. "She your problem, too?"

"Yes."

"And you don't know what to make of her?"

"No."

"How old is she, Barbara?" he asked.

"Fifteen"

"Fifteen… She lets her knowledge out a bit at a time so as not to embarrass me. That's what I feel about her. She knows more science than I'll ever know. She's a genius. Is that what she's doing with history?" he leaned in, genuinely curious.

"Something like that," Barbara agreed. The girl was a genius. It seemed no subject could elude her mind if she really tried.

"So your problem is whether to stay in business or hand over the class to her?" he joked.

"No, not quite," she answered, looking down to her hands.

"What, then?"

"Ian," she looked back up, seemingly even more nervous. "I must talk to someone about this, but I don't want to get the girl into trouble." She leaned forward toward him some. "And I know you're just going to tell me I'm imagining things." At least, she hoped that he could tell her so and make her really believe it. Barbara was quite nervous about the possibility of stirring up any trouble, especially if it could break the trust between herself and her student and friend. Stirring up trouble could also make some sort of name for herself amongst the staff. Not a good name, of course.

"No, I'm not," he denied a little indignantly.

"Well, I told you how good she is at history," she started. "I had a talk with her and told her she ought to specialize. She seemed quite interested until I said I'd be willing to work with her at her home. Then she said that would be absolutely impossible as her grandfather didn't like strangers."

"He's a doctor, isn't he? That's a bit of a lame excuse." Putting his pen into his pocket, he set the papers down and stood up before stepping over to a sink in the room. He pushed back his sleeves and started washing his hands.

Barbara stood as well and followed him. "Well, I didn't pursue the point, but then recently her homework's been so bad…" she trailed off.

"Yes, I know."

"Finally I was so irritated with all her excuses I decided to have a talk with this grandfather of hers and tell him to take some interest in her."

"Did you indeed? What's the old boy like?" Hands clean, he re-adjusted his sleeves and looked up at her.

"Well, that's just it… I got her address from the secretary, 76 Totter's Lane, and I went along there one evening." She follows him over to another table where he started moving a couple of books. "Oh, Ian, do pay attention."

"Sorry. You went along there one evening?" he prompted as he finished putting papers away and collected his things.

"There isn't anything there. It's just an old junkyard," she frowned coming to the root of it.

"Well you must have gone to the wrong place," he reasoned, not very concerned.

"That was the address the secretary gave me."

"Well the secretary got it wrong then."

"No," she pressed. "I checked. There's a big wall on one side, houses on the other, and nothing in the middle. And this nothing in the middle is No. 76 Totter's Lane."

"Hm. That's a bit of a mystery." He leaned against the table. "Well, there must be a simple answer somewhere."

"Well, what?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest. She had thought about not much else since finding the junkyard. In fact, during one of her classes she had even asked everyone's address claiming the office needed to re-file for this class as to not draw attention to or from Susan. The papers were collected and when she had gotten home from work that evening her hands shook as she saw Susan had written 76 Totter's Lane down. Thoughts of Susan possibly not having a proper roof over her head worried her all that night. Not sure where to go from here, there was the concern that if she were to go to the authorities or social work of some kind the girl might just do a runner.

Ian walked over to stand next to her, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Well," he smiled, leaning in as if conspiring a crime, "we'll have to find out for ourselves, won't we?"

"Thank you for the 'we.' She's waiting in one of the classrooms. I'm lending her a book on the French Revolution." Barbara seemed to relax significantly and smiled gratefully. Gently she picked up a thick tome from her desk with care. On its cover was a stately portrait of Robespierre. It seemed to be well worn with a couple of page corners folded in marking various spots in the book. While she preferred the Aztecs, revolutionary France was a major focus of a number university courses.

"What's she going to do, rewrite it?" Ian asked, chuckling to himself making Barbara roll her eyes again. He took his hands out of his pockets to raise in mock surrender. "Oh, all right," he relented. Walking past her, he gave Barbara's shoulder a quick squeeze. From the coat rack he pulled down his dark over coat and slid it on atop his suit's blazer. "What do we do, ask her point-blank?" he asked, fixing his collar.

"No, I thought we could drive there, wait till she arrives, and see where she goes."

"Oh," Ian paused before nodding, "all right."

"That is, if you're not doing anything."

"Where I'm living at the moment there's nothing to do and no one to do it with, so no, I'm not," he answered. "I was wondering," he paused in adjusting his coat for a moment before he continued, "how your situation differs from mine?"

Barbara looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "There's no difference," she replied, careful to keep her face neutral.

"After you," Ian prompted, holding the door open for her.

* * *

In the empty music room, a young girl was holding a small radio to her ear and dancing along to the pop music playing at a high volume. She stood between the rows of desk with her eyes closed, her pleated skirt and short dark hair swaying with her movements.

The two teachers stepped in and glanced at one another with a knowing smile.

As the ghastly wail of the singer came to an end, Susan yelled out, "Sing it again, Ollie! Sing it again – for me!" as she continued dancing a few beats after the music had stopped.

"Susan?" Barbara called out to her, getting her attention.

Startled, the girl lowered the radio to behind her back as she turned to them. "Oh, I'm sorry Ms. Wright. I didn't hear you coming in." She turned to the nearest desk to set the small radio down where it continued to blare out the next song. "Isn't he fabulous?" she gushed as she turned back to the teachers.

Barbara smiled at the girl indulgently, "Who?"

"It's Ollie Typhoon. He's gone from number nineteen to number two!"

"That's quite good," Barbara clearly didn't recognize the name, but she smiled softly all the same.

Ian chuckled and leaned against one of the desks. "Ollie Typhoon is the stage name of the honorable Fred Grub," he said in explanation to Barbara.

"Grub-dub," retorted Susan, pulling a face. "He's left it all behind. Oh Mr. Chesterton, he teaches me to – to throb. But I wouldn't expect you to know about music?"

"I have an inquiring mind." He paused to nod at the radio, "and a _very _sensitive ear."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the girl jumped up and reached over to the radio and fiddled with it.

"Thank you," Ian replied after the loud music cut off, sorely tempted to rub his ears.

Susan turned to Barbara and seemed to take notice of what was tucked under her arm. "Is that the book you promised me?" she asked, staring at it curiously.

Handing it over, Barbara answered in positive.

"Thank you very much. It will be interesting," Susan mused, running her fingers over the cover. "I'll return it tomorrow," she promised, looking up to Barbara before she stepped over to the desk with her book bag sitting atop of it.

"Oh, that's not necessary. Keep it until you've finished it," Barbara offered, watching Susan slip the book into her bag carefully.

Susan fiddled with the straps of the bag, securing it closed. "I'll have finished it," she said, causing the two teachers to glance at each other.

"Oh, where do you live, Susan?" Ian asked. "I'm giving Ms. Wright a lift and have room for one more."

"Um, no, thank you, Mr. Chesterton." Susan wouldn't look at either of them. "I like walking through the dark. It's mysterious."

"You say that as if-" Barbara started.

"Then we won't deprive you of the romantic venture," Ian interrupted, cutting Barbara off.

The look Barbara shot him was quite shrewd before she turned back to Susan and started again "Be careful, Susan. The fog's been getting thicker."

"Hmm" Susan replied, not seeming to be paying attention.

The two adults stood up and Barbara fastened her coat. "See you in the morning?" she asked as if to make sure.

"I expect so. Good night," Susan replied, still not looking up at them.

Barbara frowned in concern but let it be. "Good night."

Holding the door open for Barbara, Ian called out over his shoulder, "Good night, Susan."

The teachers left, closing the door behind them. Outside in the hallway as they walked towards the entrance, Ian lamented, "I don't get her. She's damn near a genius at every subject she tackles, yet she digs Fred Grub."

Meanwhile back in the classroom Susan retrieved the book from her back, opening it up so her nose was buried behind a stately picture of Robespierre on the cover. As she started reading, her brow furrowed. "But that's not right."

* * *

"Over there, where the policeman is" Barbara pointed out to Ian as they slowly drove down a darkening road. He pulled over and parked along the opposite curb where they would be able to watch the area clearly.

"Lucky there was no fog. I'd never have found this," he mused.

"Well, she doesn't seem to have arrived yet." Barbara said, glancing around out her window. "I suppose we are doing the right thing, aren't we?" she glanced over to Ian still nervous.

"I'll justify curiosity-" he began.

"But her homework," Barbara interrupted. What if this child were living here? Surely they had to find out so something could be done.

"Really an excuse, isn't it?" he asked, turning more towards her. "I've seen far worse. The truth is, we're both curious about Susan and we won't be happy until we know some of the answers."

Barbara shifted and glanced out the window again. "You can't just pass it off like that. If I thought I was just being a busy-body I'd go straight home. I thought you agreed she was a bit of a mystery," she insisted.

"Yes, but I think you'll find there is a rather simple explanation to all this."

"Well I don't know how you'll explain the fact that a teenage girl does not know how many shillings are in a pound," she countered. How could a girl living in London not know the proper currency?

"Really?" he asked, eyebrows high with surprise.

"Really. She said she thought we were on the decimal system."

"Decimal system?" his brow furrowed in confusion. "I suppose she couldn't be a foreigner," he thought aloud. "Nothing about this girl makes sense. For instance the other day I was talking about chemical changes. I had given out the litmus paper to show cause and effect-"

"And she knew the answer before you started?"

"Well, not quite. The answer simply didn't interest her. She means it. These simple experiments are child's play to her."

"It's almost to the point that I deliberately want to trip her up," Barbara admitted.

"Yes. Something like that happened a couple of weeks ago. I had set the class a problem how the orbit of a space capsule is calculated in advance. This fifteen-year-old child tells me with all the assurance in the world that she's not interested in the conquest of mere distance. 'Scientifically short-sighted' she said it was. I asked if she wants to break through into the fourth dimension of space and time. She went as white as a sheet. As if I had insulted her. White as a ghost, and she was shaking, too." Looking back upon that, such a reaction could be concerning. But what could that even mean, he wondered.

"Too many questions and not enough answers."

"Stupid, or just doesn't know?" Ian pondered. "So, we have a fifteen year old girl who is absolutely brilliant at some things, excruciatingly bad at others, and just-well-inexplicable to the rest."

"There she is," Barbara interrupted, pointing out Susan walking down the lane. Susan glanced around before pushing open the gates and walking in.

"She looks rather like someone afraid of being watched. Or is my imagination working overtime?" Ian asked quietly.

"Can we go in now? I hate to think of her alone in that place," Barbara asked, turning to look at Ian.

"If she is alone," Ian glanced at Barbara. "Look, she is fifteen. She might be meeting a boy. Did that ever occur to you?"

"I almost hope she is."

"You do?" he laughed, surprised.

"Well, it would be so wonderfully normal," she smiled at Ian who then smiled just as wide. They shared another laugh before an uncomfortable silence followed.

"Come on, let's get it over with," Ian said as he opened his door and got out.

* * *

In the junkyard dust was piled upon various bits of furniture and fixtures inches deep in places. Ian produced a torch and turned it on, swinging the light around the area. Taking Barbara's elbow they slowly started walking through the dim yard. They peeked around and behind different fixtures of the yard taking note of how filthy and broken everything around them was. "What a mess. We're not turning over any of this stuff to find her" Ian said looking at a dust-covered wardrobe.

"Over there?" Barbara asked, pointing a direction for them to check.

With a loud oath, Ian tripped over a box and things went dark. "Blast."

"What?" Barbara asked as her eyes tried to adjust to the new darkness.  
"I dropped the torch." Ian replied, fumbling around a moment on the ground before standing upright.

"Well, use a match."

"I haven't got any," he sighed. "Oh, never mind," he grumbled in a huff.

"Susan?" Barbara called out taking a step off to the left.

"Susan." Ian called out a little sharper. Spotting a sturdy-looking ladder nearby, Ian climbed up the first couple of rungs. "Susan?" he called again, looking around from his new vantage point, as Barbara continued walking around on the ground. "Susan, it's Mr. Chesterton and Ms. Wright" He climbed back down to check behind some curtains he thought he saw move. "She can't have gone out without our seeing her," he called to Barbara after finding the curtains empty.

Finding a clean and new and not at all dusty police box, Barbara called out to him, "Ian, come take a look at this."

"Why, it's a police box," he mused coming to stand next to Barbara. "What on Earth's it doing here?" he asked as he got a closer look. "These things are usually on the street. They-" he stopped as his hand came in contact with one of the walls. His hand groped around for a moment and his brow furrowed. "Feel it."

She reached out and touched the back of her hand to the blue panel just next to his hand in curiosity. It hadn't felt cold and dead, perhaps a bit slick from the treated paint as she was expecting. Instead it was warm and seemed to pulse with life.

"Do you feel it?" he asked as he kept moving his hand around as if not quite believing what he feeling.

Barbara pulled her hand away and up to her chest. "There's a faint vibration," she marveled.

"It's alive," Ian agreed. Incredulous, he took a step back and glanced it up and down. Stepping around Barbara, Ian walked around its entirety. "It's not connected to anything," he told her as he came back to stand next to Barbara. "Unless it's through the floor."

"Look, I've had enough. Let's go and find a policeman," Barbara asked, not at all liking this terrible feeling she was feeling grow in her stomach. Everything felt on edge.

"Yes, alright," Ian agreed. He took her hand this time and looked back at the police box as they began towards the entrance.

A distant cough interrupted their thoughts and brought them to a stop.

"Is that her?" Barbara asked quietly. Another cough followed. While not strong it was much deeper than one to be expected from a young girl.

"That's not her. Quick," he pointed to some boxes before hurrying them over, hiding the two of them somewhere they could see whoever was coming.

The teachers watched intently as an old man stepped into the junkyard, coughing into a handkerchief. He waved the handkerchief around trying to clear the air as he began again forward with some labored breathing. Opening his coat he tucked the handkerchief into the pocket of his waist coat. He approached the police box and pulled out a key to unlock the door. He shined a small torch-like object into the opening and the door let out a high, albeit quiet, electronic whine.

"There you are, Grandfather" Susan's voice called out clearly from inside the box.

Barbara startled at the voice. "That's Susan," she whispered harshly to Ian.

Ian shushed her and turned back to watch the old man, who seemed to have heard them. Closing the door he turned towards where they stood with a glare. Ian stood upright and stepped forward, "Excuse me," he said in way of introduction, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What are you doing here?" The old man asked sharply, holding his key at Ian.

"Ah, we're looking for a girl," Ian answered.

"We?" the old man inquired, looking around.

Barbara then stepped out from where she was crouched. "Good evening," she offered the old man as she came to stand next to Ian.

"What do you want?" the man demanded.

"Ah, one of our pupils, Susan Foreman, came into this yard." Ian replied, and tucked his hands into his pockets.

"Really?" the old man asked. "In here?" he skeptically looked around. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Barbara spoke up feeling quite wary of the man. "We saw her from across the street."

"In this light?" he challenged. He kept his voice light as if it were all a wonder to him. Oh, what lovely vision you must have, it seemed he were asking. His expression he also kept quite controlled and light seemingly friendly while quite altogether suspicious to Barbara.

"Yes, quite clearly," Ian answered. His expression losing its light touch. It would seem Barbara was not alone in her wariness.

"One of their pupils. Not the police, then," the old man mumbled quietly to himself, too quiet for the teachers to fully hear.

"I beg your pardon?" Ian asked, leaning towards the man.

"Why were you spying on her? Who are you?" The old man asked slowly, seemingly curious.

"We heard a young girl's voice call out to you," Ian said, completely ignoring the question.

"Your hearing must be very acute. I didn't hear anything," the old man denied with a chuckle.

"It came from in here," Barbara gestured towards the police box.

"You imagined it," the old man cut in quickly, turning to look at Barbara.

"I certainly did not imagine it," Barbara replied getting quite tired of this interchange.

"Young man," the man began, casually taking Ian's arm and leading him aside a few steps from Barbara. "Is it reasonable to suppose that anybody would be inside such a small cupboard like that?" he asked, pointing back at the police box with a smile. "Hmm?"

Ian's brow furrowed further. "Would it, therefore, be unreasonable to ask you to let us have a look inside?"

Completely ignoring Ian's reply the old man's attention was caught by something on the ground. "I wonder why I've never seen that before," he wondered, picking up an ornate picture frame. "Now isn't that strange. Very damp and dirty."

Barbara watched them while pacing before the police box. "Won't you help us?" she called out to him when he picked up the frame. "We're two of her teachers from the Coal Hill School. We saw her come in and we haven't seen her leave." She watched him fiddle with the frame, inspecting it. "Naturally we're worried."

"This needs to be cleaned. Hm?" The old man glanced back at her with a smile. "Oh, I'm afraid it isn't any of my business." He set the frame back down. "I suggest you leave here." He walked back to stand between the two of them and the police box.

Ian took a step towards him. "Not until we're satisfied that Susan isn't here." He shook his head. "Frankly, I don't understand your attitude."

"Oh, yours leaves a lot to be desired," the old man countered, smiling up at him.

"Will you open the door?" Ian demanded.

"There's nothing in there," the old man insisted.

"Then what are you afraid to show us?" Ian asked, still baffled by the man's behavior.

"Afraid?" the old man laughed. "Oh, go away," he shooed them.

Ian looked back at Barbara. "I think we'd better fetch a policeman."

The old man stopped and frowned. "Very well" he sighed.

"And you're coming with us" Ian

The old man turns on him, surprised. "Oh, am I?" he seems amused and laughs. "I don't think so, young man. No, I don't think so." he takes a few steps away from them, seemingly disinterested, but tensely listening.

"We can't very well force him," Barbara whispered to Ian.

"But we can't leave him here," Ian countered, nodding towards the old man. "Doesn't it seem obvious to you he's got her locked up in there?" He felt around the front of the police box. "I mean, look at it, there's no door handle. There must be a secret lock somewhere."

The old man with his back to them picked up a small vase and fiddled with it.

"That was Susan's voice…" Barbara trailed off surely.

The old man paused his fiddling with the vase, listening to them.

"Of course it was," Ian said firmly. "Susan?" he whispered at the police box.

The old man smiled and resumed fiddling with the vase.

"Susan, are you in there?" Ian called out. "It's Mr. Chesterton and Ms. Wright, Susan."

"Don't you think you're being rather high handed, young man?" the old man asked, not turning to face them. Ian and Barbara started and turned towards him. "You thought you saw a young girl into the yard, you imagined you heard her voice. You believe she might be in there. Not very substantial, is it?" he called back to them, setting the vase back down.

"But why won't you help us?" Barbara approached him, smiling imploringly.

"I'm not hindering you," the old man countered, his eyebrows raised. "If you both want to make fools of yourselves I suggest you do what you said you'd do. Go find a policeman." He challenged.

"While you nip off quietly in the other direction?" Ian asked.

The old man closed his eyes and silently sighed. "Insulting." He turned towards the two of them fully. "There's only one way in and out of this yard. I shall be here when you get back. I'd love to see your faces when you try to explain your behavior to a policeman." He straightened and leaned on his can haughtily and chuckled.

"Never the less we're going to find one," Ian took Barbara by the arm and moved to lead her out of the yard.

"What are you doing out there?" Susan's voice could be heard again from inside the police box.

"She is in there!" Ian exclaimed.

The old man rushed, trying to get past them towards the police box. "Don't open the door," he called out. Ian grabbed a hold of him as Barbara hurried over to the police box.

"Barbara," Ian calld out, nodding towards the opening doors.

Once the door opened wide enough Barbara rushed in.

* * *

Inside the space was a large, computerized room with a hexagonal consol standing in the middle covered with buttons, and Susan standing beside it under a screen. Barbara stopped short, gazing around as Ian is pushed in behind her neck and neck with the old man. The walls had large circular patterns that seem to emit light from somewhere behind them. Barbara stood, taking the sight in, as Ian glared at the old man who stepped forward towards the approaching Susan, not seeming to quite notice their surroundings quite yet.

"Close the door, Susan," the old man commanded as he pointed back at the open doors leading into the junkyard. Ian then began looking around and loosened his tie as he gaped with wonder. Susan reached behind her and toggled a switch on the large console standing in the middle of the room which caused the doors to close themselves. Ian and Barbara turned to watch incredulously. "I believe these people are known to you?" the old man asked the girl, gesturing back towards Ian and Barbara behind him.

"They're two of my school teachers," Susan answered him before turning to the teachers. "What are you doing here?" she asked, confused. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at them, wondering what the devil they were doing there.

"They must have followed you," the old man supplied, stepping closer to look down at her. "That ridiculous school. I knew something like this would happen if we stayed in one place too long." He admonished with a frown.

Susan shook her head. "But why should they follow me?" she asked in wonder.

"Is this really where you live, Susan?" Barbara asked, her focus coming to the girl in question.

"Yes," Susan admitted, looking both nervous and winded by the situation at the same time.

"And what's wrong with it?" the old man asked, turning to the teachers.

"But it was just a telephone box," Ian wondered, still gaping like a fish and looking everywhere.

"Perhaps," the old man countered.

"And this is really your grandfather?" Barbara persisted, still concerned for the girl.

"Yes," Susan nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, why didn't you tell us that outside?" Barbara rounded on the old man. "Here we thought you were some stranger keeping her locked up!"

"I don't discuss my private life with strangers" the old man smiled tightly at Susan.

Ian continued staring around the room. His eyes finally came to rest upon the old man and Susan for a moment. "It was a police telephone box. I walked all around it! Barbara, you saw me!" Ian exclaimed, still unable to wrap his head around it.

"You don't deserve any explanations," the old man interrupted Ian's babbling, walking off to the side to look at something. "You pushed your way in here uninvited and unwelcome..."

"Ian," Barbara took hold of Ian's coat, "I think we ought to leave, now." She tried to tug him back towards the door. Ian resisted the tug and brought his hand up to rest on hers, stilling her.

"Now just a minute," he then took a hold of her arm and guided the two of them towards the old man who had moved to stand near an end table. "I know this is absurd. I –"

"Oh, dear, dear, dear," the old man tutted, meddling with a small piece of something he picked up. He turned it around in his hands and inspected every angle of it.

"I mean – I walked all around it" Ian continued, letting go of Barbara and stepping closer behind the old man.

"It's stuck again, and I've tried-hmm?" the old man looked up at Ian, just starting to pay attention to him. "Oh, you wouldn't understand." He waved dismissively towards Ian and turned to move back towards the other side of the room.

"I want to understand," Ian raised his voice. Barbara wrung her hands, watching Ian follow the old man from one side of the room to the other.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes," the old man replied dismissively before he took off his outer coat. "By the way, Susan, I managed to find a replacement for that faulty filament." He carefully set his coat on a nearby chair, his scarf falling to the floor. "Bit of an amateur job, but I think it'll serve." He bent to pick up the scarf and put it on the chair. Everyone watched him walk to the console and pull something from his pocket.

"It's an illusion, it must be," Ian tried to reason out loud.

"What is he talking about now?" the old man asked Susan as he bent to stick whatever was in his pocket into the side of the console.

"What are you doing here?" Susan pleaded to the two teachers.

"You don't understand, so you find excuses," the old man said, addressing the Ian as he straightened up again. "Illusions, indeed?" he asked with a huff, turning to face the teachers. "You say you can't fit an enormous building into one of your smaller sitting rooms."

"No," Ian immediately replied.

"But you've discovered television, haven't you?" the old man asked with an indulgent smile.

"Yes."

"Then by showing an enormous building on your television screen, you can do what seemed impossible, couldn't you?" the old man asked, as if leading a child.

"Well, yes, but I still don't know…" Ian tried to counter.

"No no no, not quite clear, is it? I can see by your face that you're not certain. You don't understand." The old man chuckled. "and I knew you wouldn't," he sighed, turning back to the console. "Never mind. Now, what switch was it?" he asked to himself, looking over the various buttons. "No, no, no… ah, yes." he reached down to push something. "That's it," he mumbled. "The point is not whether you understand," he looked back up, "but what is going to happen to you? Hmm?" he glanced over to Susan. "They'll tell everybody about the ship now."

"Ship?" Ian asked, very confused by the word.

"Yes, yes. Ship. I use your own outdated terminology for any craft which does not roll along on wheels" the old man explained with a wave of his hand.

"You mean," Barbara interrupted from where she stood, "it moves?"

"The T.A.R.D.I.S. can go anywhere," Susan spoke up as well to answer.

"Tardis?" Barbara asked her. "I don't know what you mean, Susan."

"Well I made up the name T.A.R.D.I.S. from the initials. Time And Relative Dimension In Space. I thought you'd both understand when you saw different dimensions inside from those outside," Susan explained.

"Let me get this straight," Ian interrupted. "A thing that looks like a police box standing in a junkyard… It can move anywhere in time and space? That's ridiculous. You're above average in science, Susan. You stick to that and leave science fiction to the writers."

"Why won't they believe us?" Susan asked, turning towards her grandfather.

"How can we, Susan?" Barbara asked her.

"Now, now, don't get exasperated," the old man said, resting his hands on Susan's shoulders comfortingly with a smile. "Remember the Red Indian, my dear. When he saw the first steam train, his savage mind thought it an illusion, too."

"You're treating us like children," Ian ground out, getting upset.

"Am I?" the old man asked with a patronizing tone. "Children of my civilization would be insulted."

"Your civilization?" Ian asked.

"Yes, my civilization," the doctor answered slowly. "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it." He brought his finger to his chin. "Have you ever thought what it's like to be wanderers in the fourth dimension? Have you?" The old man asked, looking away. "To be exiles?" he continued as he looked back up and rested a hand on Susan's shoulder, "Susan and I are cut off from our own planet. Without friends or protection. But one day… we shall get back." Susan looked up at him. "Yes, one day," he said with conviction, giving Susan's shoulder a pat before turning away.

Susan stepped towards the teachers. "It's true. Every word of it's true." She said, glowering at them as if daring them to disagree. "You don't know what you've done, coming here." She turned towards the old man, "Grandfather, let them go now, please," she begged, grabbing at his arm. "Look, if they can't understand, they can't hurt us at all. I understand these people better you. They may reject things they don't understand."

The old man pulled out of her reach and looked back at her over his shoulder. "No," he answered, resolutely.

"They can't keep us here," Ian whispered to Barbara as they watched the exchange.

Barbara moved to stand beside Susan. "Susan, why did you insist upon lying to us?" she tried to asking the girl. She couldn't bring herself to accept what was going on all around her.

"I'm not lying!" Susan exclaimed, seething at her.

"But Susan…" Barbara implored her.

"It's not! Look, I love your school. I love England in the twentieth century. The last five months have been the happiest of my life-"

"I've always been your friend," she told Susan. "Since we both started at the school just after the half term holiday. Even when some of the other girls and boys made fun of you because you knew so much more than they did. But all of this..." Barbara gestured around them helplessly.

"I was born in another time. Another world," Susan began. Her eyes focused somewhere on the distance and glazed over some as her voice became distant.

"Now look here," Ian chimed in, "Susan, you-" he stopped himself, seeing Susan wasn't even listening to him. "Oh, come on Barbara. Let's get out of here." He grabbed Barbara's arm and hurried towards the door.

"No, you can't get out of here. He won't let you go." Susan called out to them.

Barbara tried to find the seam of the door when a strange whistle fills the room. The old man chuckled, highly amused as he watches them feel around the wall.

"They closed the door from over there," Ian realized, pointing at the console. He rushed back over and looked over all the buttons and switches. "I saw him. Now, which is it?" he wondered aloud. The old man stepped closer, watching him. "Which is it?" Ian asked, walking all around the console. "Which control operates the doors?" he demanded.

"Still think it's all an illusion?" the old man asked him, gesturing at the console.

Ian crowded the doctor. "I know that free movement in time and space is a scientific dream I don't expect to find solved in a junkyard," he exclaimed, voice rising to almost a shout by the end.

"Your arrogance is nearly as great as your ignorance," the old man mused.

"You open the door," Ian demanded, causing the old man to chuckle. "Open the door," he repeated. When the old man continued to chuckle, Ian turned to Susan. "Susan, will you help us?" he pleaded with her.

"I mustn't" she said as she shied a step back from him, seemingly nervous.

"What if it is true?" Barbara called out from the doorway.

"It can't be, I tell you!" Ian exclaimed, turning back to the console. "I'll have to risk it myself," he said, glancing over all the buttons and switches as a sweat broke out over his forehead.

"I can't stop you," the old man told him, subtly turning a knob which made the large section protruding from the top to light up.

"Don't touch it, it's live," Susan cried out as Ian reached for one of the buttons. The moment his fingers came in contact with it, Ian's body seized up and he staggered away from the console clutching his hand.

"Ian," Barbara called out, rushing over to where he collapsed to his knees, steadying his shoulders. "What on earth do you think you're doing? How dare you behave like this?" she demanded of the old man who stood watching them all.

"Grandfather, let them go now, please" Susan pleaded, her voice shaking some. She glanced between the two teachers and her grandfather.

Gently he reached out a hand to her. "My dear child," he began, steering Susan a few steps away from the teachers. "You know very well we cannot let them possess even one idea that such a ship as the T.A.R.D.I.S. might be possible."

"But Grandfather don't you see if we let them go now they can't," she argued. Her voice still shook as she thought about how Mr. Chesterton's body seized up from the shock of electricity.

The old man nodded his head back to the teachers who were watching them closely. "Look, see how they watch and listen as we talk? If they leave the ship now they might come to believe at last all this is possible. Think what would have happened to the ancient Romans if they possessed the power of gunpowder. If Napoleon had been given the secret of the aeroplane. No, we both know we cannot let our secret loose into the world of the twentieth century," he calmly reasoned.

"But they won't say anything," she tried again.

"My dear child," he sighed. "Of course they will. Put yourself in their place. They're bound to make some sort of complaint to the authorities. Or, at least, talk to a few of their friends. If I do let them go, Susan, you do realize of course we must go, too."

"No, grandfather… We've had all this-"

"There's no alternative, child"

"But I want to stay!" she exclaimed, turning to look at the teachers. "They're both kind people. Why won't you trust them?" She looked back to her grandfather. "All you've got to do is ask them to promise to keep our secret…"

"It's out of the question," the old man said with a note of finality.

"I won't go, grandfather," the girl threatened, straightening her back. "I won't leave the twentieth century. I'd rather leave the T.A.R.D.I.S. and you."

"Now you're being sentimental and childish," he said, shaking his head at the notion.

"No, I mean it," she insisted despite her still shaking voice.

"Very well," he relented, calling her bluff. "Then you must go with them." He turned away back towards the console. "I'll open the door."

Susan's jaw dropped and she gaped at him. The two teachers moved to stand by the still closed doorway in the wall, their attention never leaving the old man and Susan.

"Are you coming, Susan?' Barbara called out, glancing between the still closed door and where Susan stood with her grandfather.

Susan hesitated, glancing over to her while her grandfather moved to stand next to the console before pressing numerous buttons. She gasped at all the switches he was flipping. "Oh, no! Grandfather!" she yelled, rushing over to him. "No!"

He struggled against the girl pushing more of the buttons, "Let me go, what are you doing? Get back to the ship's other side, child," he admonished as she still tried to pull him from the control panel. The two teachers began moving towards them, but kept their distance not knowing what to do.

A circuit of bulbs flickered on one after another, like an illumination in Piccadilly Circus. Lights flashed, alternating between the panel and the walls. The room lurched, knocking Ian and Barbara off balance. They grasped at one another in an attempt to keep their balance, but toppled over. Barbara landed upon one of the few seats scattered around the edges of the room and Ian, still grasping her arm, fell to the ground beside her. His head knocked against the floor with a thud and he slipped out of consciousness. Barbara's eyes were spinning as her head felt a pounding from within, and she too succumbed to unconsciousness.

The doctor stood with his back arched, his arms rigid on various controls as he wrestled with the machinery. He stood at the helm almost as if he were standing up holding some giant handlebars of some gigantic motorcycle. On the screen on the back wall displayed buildings, then London growing smaller and smaller as if the world were falling away from them.

Upon a deserted, sandy field a police box faded into existence. A lone figure, having heard a strange noise approached to see the police box, casting a long shadow upon the sand.


	2. The Cave of Skulls

Outside of the T.A.R.D.I.S. a shadow fell long across the sandy plains approaching. A scraggly man clothed in furs and face marred with mud and grime stared at the box in both confusion and wonder.

* * *

A group of people, all dirtied and clothed in furs sat together in a small clearing. Each of them was positioned to watch the figure bent over a stone slab rubbing a bone between his hands above a small pile of sticks. The atmosphere was tense with expectation. They watched, spellbound, by his gestures. His face registered concentration and desperation as he continued rubbing his hands fiercely together around the bone. For a moment he paused the rubbing to pinch up some of the ash beside him and toss before him, and immediately began rubbing again. One of the women leaned in close beside him, watching with more tension than the rest.

The sound of an old voice called out from the crowd. "Where is the fire Za makes?" an old woman asked tiredly, watching from the sides. Her harried face was worn with tired wrinkles and tanned from long exposure to the sun. Few of the group were near her in age. Instead the group was fairly young as a whole with many children amongst them.

"In his hands," the woman beside Za spoke up, glaring at the old woman. Za silently continued rubbing his hands around the bones, but glanced at the old woman nervously as his dark hair covered his eyes. The woman leaned closer to Za's side and fiercely whispered to him, "We're not going to the wood."

"My father made fire," Za spoke with hope.

The old woman's mouth thinned. "They killed him for it," she acceded, nodding. "It is better that we live as we have always done," she said with finality.

"He showed me how to sharpen the stones, and how to trap the bear and the tiger. He should have shown me this, too." He ground out as he kept rubbing.

"So that everyone would bow to you as they did to him?" the old woman asked him shrewdly. The woman crouched beside Za watched the two of them closely, eyes darting between them.

Za's hands quickened and he grunted with effort before standing suddenly. He jumped over the stone slab he sat before and stood before the old woman breathing hard in anger. "Tell me what my father did to make fire," he demanded, brandishing the bone in his hand threateningly at her.

The old woman shook her head, her sun bleached white hair swaying. "I never saw him make it. That is all I know," she scoffed dismissively, completely indifferent towards his angry demeanor.

Za grunted in anger and threw out his fist into the air beside her head. She didn't so much as blink. "Get out of my sight, old woman. You should have died with him," he growled before walking back to where he had been crouched down, away from her, stomping in anger all the way.

The old woman chuckled darkly, "Za will never make fire."

Crouching down before the twigs, Za grunted in frustration before picking up the pile in his hands all together and bringing them up to his face, yelling out into them in frustration before slamming them back down. The group around them started shifting back and forth on their feet. "Put on more of the dead fire," he demanded of the woman beside him.

She quickly tossed some ashes onto the twigs and he picked up the bone again and began furiously rubbing it between his palms over the twigs.

"The old men are talking against you Za," the woman whispered to him. He paused, momentarily thrown, before starting to rub at a slower pace. "They say it better for the stranger Kal to lead us," she continued.

"Kal," he spat the name as if something distasteful.

"They say you sit all day rubbing your hands together while he brings us meat," she continued again, watching intently as he worked.

He faltered again as his anger continued to build. "Without meat we go hungry. Without fire, we die," he argued heatedly.

"The old men see no further than tomorrow's meat," she countered. "They'll make Kal the leader. My father will give me to him." Their eyes met and he took in her tense posture. Her fists clenched where they rested upon the stone slab as she stared up at him, begging. Breaking their gaze he looked back to his bone and his brows furrowed.

"Kal is no leader," he argued, seething through his clenched teeth.

"The leader is the one who makes fire," she ground out, leaning closer to him desperately.

Nervously he picked up the pace of his hands again and he grunted in effort trying to will the flames to sprout from the bone. With no result he threw the bone down and stood. In anger he raised up his fists and screamed out to the sky, waving his arms. Looking down to the woman beside him, he swept his arm across the stone, scattering the twigs and ashes before collapsing against the stone and burying his face into his arms upon it. The woman beside him watched silently, her eyes glistening, and she leaned her head down to rest her chin upon her fists beside to his elbow.

Lifting his head from his arms, he picked up one of the twigs. "Where has the fire gone?" he demanded of it. "Where?" he asked desperately, snapping the twig in half and examining the break as if hoping to find it aflame. "Where?" he asks again, his voice quieter.

* * *

In the T.A.R.D.I.S. the engine noises started whirring down. Barbara began to stir from the chair she had collapsed onto. Opening her eyes she glanced about momentarily thrown before leaning down to beside her seat. She looked down to the figure sprawled out on the floor beside her. Ian. Slowly the events of the night before came back to her and she glanced around the room. Susan and her grandfather were standing in the center of the room distracted by the console. Barbara turned her attention back to Ian.

"Ian?" she asked, gently reaching out a hand and shaking his arm. "Ian," she said a little louder.

He lifted up an arm to move her hand away before slowly opening his eyes. Focusing on her, his arm changed direction and he grabbed a hold of the chair's leg. "I'm alright," he groaned. Using the chair as leverage, he rose up to a sitting position, and clutched his other hand to the back of his head. Barbara sat up farther in the chair and looked about again. "Ohh, I must have hit my head," Ian moaned out, rubbing the back of his head before bringing the hand to his face to check for blood. Barbara leaned back down, craning her neck to also see his clean hand. Adjusting his hold on the chair, Ian pulled himself to his knees beside Barbara. "The movement's stopped," he realized suddenly, looking up at her.

She looked past him, watching Susan and her grandfather at the console nervously.

"The base is steady," Susan told her grandfather, her eyes never leaving something on the console. The two of them stood steadily and seemingly unaffected by all that had happened. Together they were looking over various screens and pieces on the machinery.

"Layer of sand… Rock formation… Good." He replied, adjusting a few knobs. His suit still the same and just as clean.

Susan addressed the teachers in a soft voice, "we've left 1963," but her grandfather had been so absorbed with his dials, switches, and meters that he thought she had been addressing him.

"Oh, yes. Undoubtedly." he replied. "I'll be able to tell you where, presently," he told her flitting from part to part of the console.

Ian brought a hand to his forehead and dragged it across his face, a headache growing, as Barbara glanced warily between Susan and her grandfather in the center of the room.

The old man looked down at a small screen on the console and frowned. "Zero? That's not right," he mused to himself. Having heard, Susan joined him on his side of the console and glanced down to the small screen. "I'm afraid this yearometer is not calculating properly," he told her. Shaking her head, she went back to checking the various other dials and screens. He looked up in thought. "Hm. Well, anyway, the journey's finished." He glanced over to Barbara and Ian. "What are you doing down there?" he asked as if just noticing the two of them.

"What have you done?" Barbara asked in a stern voice still sitting primly in the chair.

Ian looked up at her. "Barbara, you don't believe all this nonsense?" he asked in disbelief.

"Look at this scanner screen," Susan called out to them.

"Yes," her grandfather agreed. "Look up there," he pointed up to one of the wall, gesturing with magnificent patronage. He looked back to Susan. "They don't understand, and I suspect they don't want to," he told her.

Barbara stood and held out a hand to help Ian to his feet. Once standing, he threw an arm around her shoulders to keep balance and together they hobbled over to the console.

"Well, there you are," the old man told them slowly, and gestured up to a screen. "A new world for you." He smiled.

On the screen was a display of some sort of a desert landscape. Burnt amber sand scattered the across the field of the screen with a few greens sprouting up in defiance. The wind was blowing patterns across the sea of sand. The blue sky was clear, not a cloud in sight as the visible sun beat down distorting some of the view with its waves of heat. A few mountains could be seen in the distance. They stood quite impressively and jaggedly across the horizon.

"Sand and rock?" Ian asked, incredulously, as he stared at it.

"Yes," the old man answered. "That's the immediate view outside the ship," he said patiently as if speaking to a child.

"But where are we?" Barbara asked him, staring at the screen in wonder.

"You mean that's what we'll see when we go outside?" Ian asked, clearly still not believing a word of any of it.

"Yes, you'll see for yourself." Susan chimed in, glancing between everyone nervously.

"I don't believe it" Ian denied with a laugh.

The old man turned to face him. "You really are a stubborn young man, aren't you?" he asked, staring at Ian with something akin to wonder.

Ian frowned at the old man. "All right, show me some proof. Give me some concrete evidence," he challenged.

Scoffing, the old man moved to stand by Susan. Standing beside her, he leaned heavily on his cane and watched as Ian turned to face Susan directly. He also kept an eye on Barbara who was quietly watching the exchange with furrowed brows. He smiled at her disarmingly as he caught her eye, but she still seemed skittish and dropped his gaze to closely watch the others again. Turning his attention back to focus on the exchange he could hear them arguing heatedly.

"I'm sorry, Susan, I don't want to hurt you, but it's time you were brought back to reality," Ian argued.

"But you're wrong, Mr. Chesterton!" Susan cried out impatiently.

Picking up on the key points of the fight the old man rested a hand on Susan's shoulder comfortingly. "He is saying I'm a charlatan" the old man explained to her quite calmly. "He cannot believe what is happening," he said before once again moving to stand before the console. "What concrete evidence would satisfy you? Hmm?" he asked, addressing Ian.

"Just open the doors, Dr. Foreman," Ian demanded.

The old man seemed thrown for a moment. "Eh? Doctor who?" he asked. "What's he talking about?" he asked Susan.

Barbara took a step towards Ian. "They're so sure, Ian," she argued.

"Yes, I know," he conceded her before turning back to the other two.

Barbara continued, "And remember the difference between outside the police box and inside…"

Ian turned to face her. "Yes, I know, but…" he said, growing impatient. "Are you going to open the doors or aren't you?" he demanded of the old man.

"No"

"You see?" he asked Barbara as if that answer confirmed something important.

"Not until I'm quite sure it's safe to do so" the old man continued. He pressed a couple of buttons which caused the light to blink within the console. "Well, yes, good. Yes, it is, it's good. Excellent. Excellent." He said before looking up at Susan beside him. "You've got the radiation counter there. What's it read?" he asked, gesturing towards one of the screens by her.

She glanced down at it. "It's reading normal, Grandfather," she said.

"Splendid. Splendid." he said to himself. "Well, I think I'll take my Geiger counter with me in any case." He looked to Ian as he moved to another part of the console. "So, you still challenge me, young man?" he asked, resting his hands on his lapels.

"Well just open the doors and prove your point," Ian argued a little smug, very sure this was all some big hoax. As soon as the doors would open everything would become clear.

"You're so narrow-minded, aren't you? Don't be so insular" the old man told him with a smirk.

"Grandfather, do you know _where_ we are?" Susan asked.

"Yes, we've gone back in time," he answered, turning to look to where she and Barbara were standing. "One or two samples and I shall be able to make an estimate. With rock pieces and a few plants…" he waved his hands about as he spoke. "But I do wish this wouldn't keep letting me down," he lamented, looking at the console. "However, we can go out now." he said, smiling up at Ian.

"Just a minute" Ian said, stopping him. "You say we've gone back in time?" he asked as if it were all a joke.

"Yes, quite so," the old man confidently replied without hesitation.

"So that when we go out of that door, we won't be in a junkyard in London in England in the year 1963?" he further asked.

"That is quite correct. But your tone suggests ridicule."

"But it is ridiculous. Time doesn't go round and round in circles. You can't get on and off whenever you like in the past or the future."

"Really? Where does time go, then?" the old man asked, highly amused.

"It doesn't go anywhere. It just happens and then it's finished," Ian said, making the old man scoff.

The old man laughed and turned back to the girls. "You're not as doubtful as your friend, I hope?" he asked Barbara.

"No" she replied calmly.

Ian turned towards her. "Barbara, you can't…" he started.

"I can't help it. I just believe them, that's all," she said, shrugging her shoulders and looking away from him towards the others.

"If you could touch the alien sand and hear the cries of strange birds and watch them wheel in another sky, would that satisfy you?" the old man asked, drawing Ian's attention back to him.

"Yes," Ian replied resolutely.

The old man moved to where he had been standing by the console and pushed a button forcing the doors to open. He took off his hat watching them open, then reached out and gestured out the open doors to Ian. "Now, see for yourself" he challenged. The doors revealed just as the screen had; a sandy landscape, complete with the mountains in the distance and clear blue sky.

"It's not true. It can't be!" Ian harshly whispered, staring in wonder.

"That's not on a screen!" countered Susan, turning to him with a big, smug grin.

"Well I've no more time to argue with you. I must get some samples." the old man gave Susan's arm a gentle squeeze as he passed her by to pick up a small bag from a table along one of the walls.

"Be careful, Grandfather," Susan bid him before slipping her own coat on.

Barbara glanced to Ian across the console to Ian before hesitantly following the old man out the doors, glancing all around her in wonder. "Ian, come out and look," she called to him. Ian slowly walked towards the door, but stopped halfway to grab his forehead in pain.

Seeing his pause, Susan approached Ian and took a hold of his arm. "Here, lean on me," Susan offered after he momentarily lost his balance after a misstep forward.

He shrugged her off and took another step. "No, thank you. I'm alright, thanks," he argued, and together they walked out of the ship to stand beside Barbara. The doors closed behind them quietly. Ian gazed all around them completely baffled by what he was seeing. Stumbling over one of his steps, he grabbed onto Susan's shoulder to steady himself. Walking next to Barbara they continued stepping out into the unknown.

* * *

"Well?" Barbara asked, looking up at him and watching his face as the foreign wind gently jostled her hair. She moved to walk on his other side ready to steady him if the need were to arise.

Stepping away from the girls, Ian let go of Susan's shoulder to make a small circle, looking everywhere about them. "But…" He brought up his right hand to thread through his hair. "There must be some explanation," he whispered to Barbara in wonder coming back to stand beside her. Barbara blinked at him in silence before resuming her looking around.

A bit farther off from them, the old man looked at the ship in wonder. "It's still a police box," he marveled quietly, brows furrowed. "Why hasn't it changed? Dear, dear. Very disturbing," he said to himself. Seeing that the others were still looking about them, he stepped off a ways before crouching down to the ground. He dug through the bag of his before glancing over his shoulder.

Behind his other shoulder, unseen to him, the shadowed figure approached and brandished a club. The dirtied man crouched down some, watching the old man in deep thought and wonder.

Back with the others, Barbara noticed some sort of animal's skull half buried in the sand. Kneeling beside it, she worked to dig it loose. "What do you think it could be?" she asked. "Ian, look at this," she said drawing the others' attention to it.

Susan crouched down by Barbara to help dust off some of the sand before Ian crouched down and plucked it up fully closely examining it.

"Well it doesn't have any horns or antlers." he mused, turning in over in his hands. "Could be a horse," he guessed, setting it back down. This time, Barbara picked it up to examine while Ian stood back up, glancing around nervously. "It could be anything." he whispered to himself. "Incredible. A police box in the midst of…" he shook his head. "It just doesn't make sense…"

Susan's attention was caught by the T.A.R.D.I.S. "It should have changed!" she exclaimed, sitting straight up again. "I wonder why it didn't happen this time." she wondered out loud to the others.

"The ship, you mean?" asked Barbara, glancing up at the T.A.R.D.I.S.

"Yes, it's been an Ionic column and a sedan chair," she explained, listing off its various disguises of the past.

"Disguising itself wherever it goes?" marveled Barbara listening with wide eyes.

"Yes, that's right. But it hasn't happened this time." The girls looked at one another. "I wonder why not," Susan began before trailing off. Glancing away from the ship her attention shifted. "I wonder if it's okay to help grandfather," she said as she brushed sand off her legs to stand up. Barbara also stood beside her. "Where is he?" Susan asked as she continued glancing around.

Ian and Barbara glance around. "You're very quiet," she commented coming to stand beside him with a smile.

He let out small laugh. "I was wrong, wasn't I?" he asked, resting his gaze on her.

"Oh, look," she said breaking their gaze. "I don't understand it any more than you do. The inside of the ship's, suddenly finding ourselves here, even some of the things Dr. Foreman says."

Ian thought back to inside the ship. "That's not his name," he told her. "Who is he? Doctor who? Perhaps if we knew his name we might have a clue to all this."

"Look, Ian, the point is it's happened," she continued on.

He nodded. "Yes, it has. But it's impossible to accept. I know I-"

The sentence was left unfinished as Susan rushed back towards them "I can't see him anywhere" Susan exclaimed, pulling Barbara's attention. Her bottom lip trembled and she looked up to the two of them with worry, brows furrowed.

"He can't be far away," Barbara consoled her gently in a soothing voice.

Susan didn't seem much comforted and glanced around them. "I was feeling just now as if we were being watched." she nervously looked around. "Grandfather?" she called out.

Meanwhile old man pulls out a pipe from his back and stood back up, holding it to his lips. He light up a match, shocking the dirtied man watching him with the flames. The dirtied man had prayed to Orb to show him the secret of fire, and here he finds one who can make fire. Surely his prayers were answered. With a start, he leapt towards the old man and in the distance Susan, Barbara, and Ian could hear him cry out.

"Grandfather!" Susan screamed as they took off in the direction of the noise.

Reaching the scene, they glanced around looking everywhere. On the ground some equipment lies smashed to bits.

"Look," Ian called to them.

"What is it?" Susan asked desperately.

Barbara reached down to the pieces of the Geiger counter. "These are some of his things," she said, moving them together.

"Grandfather!" Susan called out in a half cry, looking all about her. "Where are you?" she yelled.

Ian took Susan by the shoulders. "Susan, don't panic," he said, trying to calm her down.

Frantic, she spun around in his grip, "I must find him!" she cried in a shrill voice.

"Susan," Ian tried again.

"I must see!" she yelled out, breaking from his grip and dashing around.

"Well, be careful then," he called out after her.

"Ian, look," Barbara called out from where she was crouched down. She brushed some hair out of her eyes as he knelt down beside her. He took some of the pieces to the broken Geiger counter.

"Well that's not any good anymore," he said.

"Maybe he saw something and went off to investigate," she tried to reason with little hope in her voice.

Ian glanced down and picked up the old man's hat. "Leaving this?" he asked. He turned it over in his hands, looking at the dirt on it.

"Well, what do you think happened," she asked him, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked at the hat in his hands.

"I don't' know," he admitted. Ian looked back at the hat he was worrying with his hands. "Perhaps he was excited… and went off to investigate something as you suggest, but…" Ian trailed off, glancing all about them. Together they stood up. "He may have been taken," he finished, watching the horizon.

Susan ran back to them in a panic. "I can't see him. I can't find him anywhere," she cried. "There's not a sign of him!" Her voice broke and she buried her face in her hands in panic.

"Calm down, Susan," Ian said, clearly uncomfortable.

Barbara reached out to hold the crying girl. "Susan, don't worry," she tried with a soothing voice.

Abruptly the girl spotted something on the ground by the broken equipment. She crouched down to grab a small book before popping back up to lean into Barbara flipping through it, still crying.

"What's the matter?" Barbara asked her, watching.

"It's his notes," Susan cried. "He'd never leave his notebook," she said desperately going through the pages. "It's too important to him. It's got the key codes of all the machines in the ship. It's got notes of everywhere we've been to." She glanced between the two teachers before the panic set in again. "Something terrible has happened to him!" She shouted breaking away from Barbara to look and pace around. "I know it has. We must find him!" She started running only to trip and fall face down into a small dune.

Rushing over to her, Barbara grabbed a hold of the girl. "Susan, Susan," she said, bringing her back to her feet. "We'll find him. I promise you." With a strong grip, she brought Susan back to where Ian was crouching down to flip through the notebook. "He can't be far away," she tried to reason with the struggling girl. She took the crying girl into her arms and Susan began to sob into her coat.

"What's on the other side of those rocks?" Ian asked the girls, picking up the things left on the ground.

"A line of trees," Susan replied, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "There's a gap in them. There might be a path on the other side."

"Alright," Ian said, "We'll try there first. Come on." He fastened the satchel and moved to stand before noticing something on the ground. Reaching out to it, he paused, drawing Barbara's attention as Susan moved on without them. "Strange," he whispered, feeling the ground.

"What?" Barbara asked, watching him.

"This sand," he said, dragging his hand through the sand. "It's cold. It's nearly freezing."

* * *

Back in the open clearing a group of children cried out. The all were holding toy spears and were trying to attack someone disguised under the furs of a wild cat. "Kill! Kill!" They chanted out, trying to jab at the figure crawling about the ground. The figure growled out viciously and moved around before rolling onto its back under the 'attack.' Beside them, the old woman sat upon a boulder quietly staring out beyond them.

Just inside the cave the children play outside of Za and the woman from earlier sat together as he ate some food from off a bone. One of the men in background gets up and moves towards them, making the woman get up and move behind to be out of the way. The man stoops to kneel beside Za. He was some years older than Za with lighter hair from much sun and a longer beard.

"Kal, says where he comes from, he's often seen men make fire," he began, drawing Za's attention.

"Kal is a liar, Horg" Za growled, before turning back to his food, tearing off another bite of meat. The woman leaned a little closer to better hear.

"He says Orb will soon show him how it is done," the older man continued.

Za continued eating. "All his tribe died in the last cold," he told the man unconcerned. "If he had not found us, he would have died, too."

"What else did he say," the woman interrupted, leaning even closer.

"He says Orb only shows the secret to the leader," he replied. Za abruptly turned his head towards the man, making him look away in submission. The woman leaned back away from the two of them, watching intently.

Sitting straighter, Za glowered down at the man, "I am the leader," he told him. "Orb will show me." Za turned away from the man. "I am the son of the great fire maker," he continued. "But he does not show me how to put flames into the sticks. Kal comes. I do not kill him. I let him eat with us and sleep in our caves." He glanced around before him before continuing again, "I will have to spill some blood and make the people bow to me."

Murmuring drew his attention behind him. Standing, he watched a crowd of people leave the cave they were sitting in to gather outside.

A crowd gathered to watch as a dirtied man approached them carrying Susan's grandfather slung over his shoulder. They watched in wonder, careful not to get too close to them. Children ran past him in wonder, moving to stand by some of the adults. The hulking figure walked over to the prominent stone slab before the cave opening and lowered the old man to lie upon it.

Za emerged from the cave and watched carefully all that happened. He stepped forward and examined the old man in his modern suit a stark contrast to the furs everyone around were wearing. "This is a strange creature," he said.

The dirtied man spoke up, "Is Za, son of the fire maker, afraid of an old man?" he asked, eyes never leaving Za. "When will Za make fire come from his hands?"

"When Orb decides it," Za argued angrily, his teeth bared.

"Orb is for strong men," the man countered. "Orb has sent me this creature to make fire come from his fingers. I have seen it," he spoke to the crowd, glancing around at all the faces. A murmur broke out amongst the people. "Inside," he continued, "he is full of fire. Smoke came from his mouth."

Za was slightly calmed. "As lies come from yours," he replied. Leaning down to the old man, Za began sniffing at him. "He wears strange skins," he marveled.

"Za is afraid," the other man continued, grabbing a hold of Susan's grandfather. "There was a strange tree. The creature was in it. Za would have run away had he seen it," he taunted.

Lunging across the slab Za grabbed for him. "Silence," he yelled.

Stepping out of Za's reach, the man continued. "When I saw fire come from his fingers… I remembered Za, son of the fire maker," he spoke to the crowd. "When the cold comes, you will all die if you wait for Za to make fire for you. I, Kal, am a true leader. We fought like the tiger and the bear. My strength was too much for him. He lay down to sleep. And I, Kal, carried him here to make fire for you," he told them. The crowed listened, enraptured by his tale. They watched him with admiration.

"Why do you listen to Kal?" Za demanded, stepping forward to speak.

"Za has many good skins," Horg spoke up. "He has forgotten what the cold is like."

Za growled. "Tomorrow," he said. "I kill many bears. You all have warm skins," he told the crowd.

"I say tomorrow," Horg spoke again, "you will rub your hands together and hold them to the dry sticks and ask Orb to send you fire. The bears will stay warm in their own skin."

Raising his club towards the man, Za bit out, "What I say I will do, I will do."

Kal grunted and waved an arm dismissively, stepping away from the two. "The fire maker is dead," he said addressing the crowd again. "You all carry dry sticks with you. But tonight, I make them burn. I am leader."

At the slab, Za's woman called everyone's attention. "The creature has opened its eyes!" she exclaimed.

"Huaa.. Where's my… Where..?" Susan's grandfather moaned out, confused.

"Do you want fire or do you want to die in the cold?" Kal asked the crowd.

Together the crowd began chanting "Fire! Fire!"

"When it's cold, the tiger comes to our caves again at night!" he called to the chanting crowd. "Za will give you to the tiger. Za will give you to the cold. Za rubs his hands and waits for all to remember him." He scoffed and lumbered down towards the slab to Susan's grandfather. "My creature," he begins again quietly, "can make fire come from his fingers. I have seen it. But I, Kal, brought him here. The creature is mine!"

Again Za appealed to the crowd. "He's just an old man in strange skins!" he called out. "Kal has been with us too long. It is time he died," he announced, crouching some and brandishing his club threateningly towards Kal. In return Kal crouched down some and held up his fists before taking a step to lunge forward.

Reaching out a hand, Horg pulled him back. "I say there is truth in both of you," he announced. "Za speaks truth, that fire cannot live in men. And Kal speaks the truth that we die without fire."

Standing quickly, Za's woman spoke up. "Will my father listen to a woman?" she asked. "If this old man can make fire come from his fingers, let us see it now!" she demanded, waving an arm over Susan's grandfather.

Za grabbed a hold of her and shoved her back. "I say what is to be done here, not old men and women," he said.

"Za tries to talk like his father, the fire maker," Kal spoke. "Za does not want to see fire made. But I, Kal, am not afraid of fire. I will make my creature make fire."

Susan's grandfather began to sit up clutching his forehead, but the argument continued without noticing him.

"I will take him to the Cave of Skulls and he will tell me the secret! He will scream unless he tells me the secret!" Za yelled, shaking his club as they leaned towards one another.

Susan's grandfather leaned forward quickly interrupting them, "I can make fire for you. Let me go and I'll make all the fire you want!" he cried out, standing up, his head turning to glance between Kal and Za. "You don't have to be afraid of me," he addressed the crowd. He moved towards the people, but everyone he approached recoiled in fear and horror. "I'm an old man," he continued, gesturing down at himself. "How can an old man like me harm any of you?" he reasoned.

"What does he say?" Za asked aloud, watching it all.

"Fire," Horg said in awe, stepping towards Susan's grandfather. "He says he can make fire for us!"

Kal grunted, interrupting him. "He makes it for me and I give you fire," he exclaimed. "I am fire maker!"

Quietly Susan's grandfather started patting his pockets in consternation as he watched everything around him.

"He will make fire for me," Za argued.

Feeling all of his pockets, Susan's grandfather froze in shock. He started searching his coat's inner pockets in a rush. "My matches. Where are they? I must get back," he thought aloud, as everyone around watched him. "I must get to the ship."

"Kal's creature, he makes fire only for Kal," Kal spoke, patting his fist to his chest, as Susan's grandfather wiped at his face with his handkerchief.

Turning to face the group, Susan's grandfather spoke up louder. "Take me back to my ship and I will make fire for you," he said, spreading out his arms. "All the fire you want," he told them.

"This is more of your lies," Za said to Kal, "the old man cannot make fire!" he exclaimed.

"There was a tree," Kal argued. "The creature came from in it. And the fire, it came out of his fingers."

Za stood straighter. "You want to be strong like Za, son of the great fire maker," he leapt up atop the stone slab. "You all heard him say that there would be fire. There is no fire! Za does not tell you lies. He does not say 'I will do this thing' and then not do it." There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd. "He does not say, 'I will make you warm' and then leave you in the dark! He does not say 'I will fight away the tiger with fire' and then let him come to you in the dark! Do you want a liar for your chief?"

"No!" the crowd exclaimed in a fervor.

Looking around at the crowd, Kal grabbed the front of Susan's grandfather's coat. "Make fire," he pleaded of the old man. "Make fire," he demanded.

"You are trapped in your own lies, Kal!" Za's woman laughed watching as nothing happened.

"Great chief who is afraid of nothing!" Za taunted from atop the slab. "Oh, great Kal, save us from the cold. Save us from the tiger." he jeered, causing laughter amongst the crowds.

"Make fire," Kal begged, grabbing at the old man's hands. "Make fire come from your fingers as I saw you…"

Trying to pull away, Susan's grandfather spoke up, "I have no matches. I cannot make fire." he called out to the crowd.

Za jumped down from the slab and approached the two. "Let the old man die and we'll watch the great Kal as he kills his strong enemy," he jeered. Susan's grandfather listened intently, his eyebrows shot up as they discussed his death.

Kal shoved him to face away from him to face the crowd. "Make fire!" he yelled. "Make fire! Or I kill you now!" Producing a sharp rock, he held it to his captive's neck threateningly.

"Or we'll keep them and make them hunt for us," Za spoke to the crowd again. "It's good to have someone to laugh at!" he yelled prompting everyone to laugh.

"GRANDFATHER!" Susan screamed, shoving her way through the crowd. Jumping onto Kal's back, she continued to scream loudly, pounding on his shoulders with her small fists. He shoved the old man away, but other members of the crowd grabbed him. Quickly Ian and Barbara joined the fray trying to free him. Za, brandishing his club was able to pull Ian off his opponent and raised his arm to strike.

"Hold it!" Susan's grandfather called out. "If he dies, there will be no fire!"

Everyone froze.

The crowd stared over to Ian and Za. With a grunt, Za threw Ian off to the side and slowly lowered his arm. He handed a crowd member his club and grumbled at the old man. Susan could be heard sobbing somewhere behind them, but otherwise unhurt. Za watched as Kal took notice of Barbara who was being held still by two members of the crowd. Watching her carefully Kal approached her and reached up to touch her face. Straining against her captures, Barbara leaned as far away as she could from his hand in fear.

"Kill her!" cried out the voice of the old woman, watching from where she sat atop one of the boulders. Kal turned to look at her, his hand frozen in the air reaching out, confused. "Kill her," the old woman called out again, watching him intently.

Turning back to Barbara, Kal snatched his hand back quickly and grabbed for his sharp stone from his belt. Susan screamed out again. As Kal began lifting his hand, Za grabbed his arm and stopped him. "You cannot kill all our enemies," he spat out. "When Orb gives fire back to the sky, let him look down on them." Struggling with each other, Za was able to push Kal back a few steps. "Then, that is when they die and Orb will give us fire again."

Kal raised his stone threateningly towards Za, but glancing around at the crowd surrounding them he lowered his hand and returned the stone to his belt. The old woman frowned as she watched from her perch.

"Take them to the Cave of Skulls," commanded Za.

The members of the crowds picked up the prisoners upon their shoulders and made for one of the nearby caves.

"No! Grandfather!" Susan screamed out as she was carried off, struggling against her captor.

Za continued standing before Kal, staring him down before Kal scoffed and backed down and walked away. His woman came to stand with him before Horg grabbed her arm to tug her away, but Za reached out and grabbed her other arm stopping him.

"The woman is mine," he told her father.

Letting go of her, Horg came to stand before Za. "My daughter is for the leader of the tribe," he said.

"Yes," Za agreed. "The woman is mine."

"I do not like what has happened," he argued.

"Old men never like new things to happen," Za countered.

Horg raised a fist to his chest. "I was a great leader of many men," he said.

"Many men, yes," agreed Za. "They all died when Orb left the sky and the great cold was on the ground. But Orb will give me fire again. To me. Not to you. Just as you will give me her."

"Za will be a strong leader of many men," the woman chimed in, drawing her father's attention. "If you give me to him, he will remember and always give you meat."

The man paused before nodding silently and walking away, his head down. Taking the woman's arm, Za led the two of them towards the cave.

Back atop the boulder, the old woman's voice called out again. "There were leaders before there was fire," her gravelly voice was dark and grim. "Fire will kill us all in the end. You should have killed the four strangers. Kill them," she solemnly commanded Za.

Walking back to her, Za leaned in close. "I have said we will wait until Orb shines again. Then they die," he told her.

* * *

Inside the dark cave old skeletons and skulls littered the ground and walls. All human they were. Their empty eye sockets starting off vacantly and jaws set open as if they were watching all around them. All of the bones were bare of any remains. It could not be determined how old the bones were as the harsh environment was sure to speed up the process of decay. With all the movement in the cave, dust was kicked up from the ground, causing Susan to cough.

One of the men bound Ian's hands together before they left, leaving their bound prisoners in the cave. Ian bent down to his knees to sit beside where Barbara was laying on her back, reaching to touch her shoulder. "Are you all right?" he asked her quietly. "Did they hurt you?"

"No," she replied, working to try and free her hands. "Ian, I'm frightened," she admitted.

"Try and hang on," he told her.

"But how are we going to get out of this?" she asked him, trying to be realistic of their chances. While she couldn't exactly pinpoint their time she had some understanding of the period they had landed in. The people here wouldn't understand their predicament, and weren't exactly known for their mercy amongst captives. Especially those of a female nature.

"We should use our cunning," Susan's grandfather spoke up from where he and Susan sat beside them each bound as well. "I hope you can get yourself free, Chesteron, for I can't," he continued as he struggled with his own bindings. Ian sat up from where he was leaned over Barbara and started trying to work on his bindings. "Phew, the stench in here… That stench…" He glanced around at everyone as they each tried at their bindings. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault," he said, looking down to Barbra laying next to him. "I'm desperately sorry."

Susan immediately spoke up between her coughs, "Don't blame yourself, Grandfather," she said.

"Look at that," he began again, gesturing towards the nearest few skulls by them. One was laying upon its side, revealing a slanted hole in its top most part.

"They're all the same," Ian commented, taking notice that they all had the same kind of hole. "They've been split open."


	3. The Forest of Fear

Inside one of the caves, a mass of people laid sleeping grouped together. There was not much room to spare and various people were overlapping parts of one another, some using others as pillows to rest their head upon. Along one of the edges of the mass nappers, the old woman laid quietly. Subtly glancing around to see everyone else asleep, she carefully sat up not disturbing those around her. Ever light on her feet, she quietly crept through the cave mindful not to jostle anyone. She approached Za and carefully tugged his sharpened rock out from under him. He moved slightly but did not wake.

* * *

In the Cave of Skulls, the four prisoners each continued struggling with the binds attempting to free their arms. Barbara had rolled onto her stomach and was working together with Ian on their binds. Susan was feeling around the ground for something. Her grandfather was reclined back against the stone wall behind him as he worked on his own wrists.

"I've found another piece with a rough edge," Susan quietly said, picking something up with some difficulty. Carefully she brought it over to where Ian and Barbara were working.

"Thank you," Ian told her, taking the rock from her hands. He brought the rock down to try and cut Barbara's bindings with the sharp edge. Susan rolled back to sit closer to her grandfather. "It's no good," Ian sighed, "It keeps crumbling," he explained as he held what was left of the broken up rock.

"Oh, it's hopeless," Susan's grandfather lamented from where he was sitting. "It's hopeless." He sat forward away from the skeletons behind him. "Even if we do get free, we shall never move that stone." Beside him, Susan started biting at the binding around her wrists trying to tear the cloth with her teeth.

Ian glanced around the cave, "There's air coming in here from somewhere."

"Yes," Barbara agreed, also glancing around. "I can feel it on my face." She looked up to Ian and smiled.

"It may be only a small opening. Don't count on it," he warned her.

"Well you obviously are," the old man grumbled behind them.

"Of course I am," Ian replied harshly. "Any hope is better than none. Don't just lie there criticizing us," he scolded. "Do something. Help us all to get out of here." Ian leaned back down and tried dragging his binds across another rock. "Oh, this stone's no good!"

Watching him, Barbara spoke up, "Well don't give up, Ian. Please."

Ian looked at her, realizing and admiring the way she was trying to crush her fear. "All right," he replied.

"No, no," the old man interrupted. "Don't waste time," he said referring to the rocks as they crumbled. "Try those bones, they maybe… They are sharper perhaps," he suggested.

"That's good idea," Ian replied, eyeing the bones around him for a sharp or jagged edge.

Susan immediately brightened, "Grandfather, I knew you'd think of something," she said, beaming up at with a big smile.

The old man watched as Ian tried to maneuver a sturdy looking bone over to the group. "We must all take it in turns and try and cut his hands free," he explained to the girl, who nodded at his words.

Ian paused, "Surely we should get the girls…"

"No, no," he interrupted. "We've got to free you first. You're the strongest. You may have to defend us," the old man explained.

Ian resumed maneuvering the bone over, his face solemn as he realized fully the weight of his responsibility. "All right," he agreed.

* * *

At the mouth of the cave, the old woman approached, glancing furtively around behind her. Sure that no one was awake, she quietly nipped out. As she was leaving Za's woman opened her eyes and lifted her head to watch the old woman. Turning back to glance at Za who laid nearby, she rested her head back down upon her arms.

Stone still in hand, the old woman carefully and quietly crept towards the cave blocked by a large boulder. She paused to listen to it with her ear close for a few moments before glancing back towards the cave where everyone was fast asleep. With light steps, she walked past the boulder and followed the wall stone wallface around.

* * *

Holding a piece of jagged bone between his hands, Susan's grandfather grunted with effort trying to saw through Ian's bindings. Everyone sat huddled together tensely watching as he worked. After a few more moments of work, he sat back exhausted. "Susan, you have a go," he said holding out the piece of bone. "My arms are tired," he told her, shaking his head.

"All right," Susan told him, sitting forward to take the bone from him. Shifting around so the old man could sit back beside Barbara who continued working at her own bindings while waiting her turn, she sat closer to Ian to begin working the cloths.

"And don't think of failing," her grandfather added on, breathless.

"What?" Barbara asked him, leaning close to hear him.

"Well, try and remember, if you can, how you and the others found your way here," he told her intently. She looked off deep in thought trying to work out the pathway from her memory. "Concentrate on that, please," he asked her.

Barbara nodded, never stopping her working her hands. "Yes, yes. I'll try," she promised. She then paused and turned to him. "You're-you're trying to help me," she said with some wonder in her voice.

"Fear," he told her. "It makes companions of all of us. That's right."

"I never once thought you were afraid," she admitted.

"Fear is with all of us and always will be. Just like that other sensation that lives with it," he began explaining, his breath getting more and more steady as he caught his breath as they rested.

"What's that?" she asked him.

"Oh," he stuttered a moment. "Your companion referred to it. Hope. Hope! That's right," he exclaimed.

* * *

Back in the sleeping cave, Za's woman sat up again, glancing over the other sleeping figures. Gently she shook Za's arm, until he roused from his sleep. Silently, she pointed over towards the mouth of the cave and he sat up. He reached above his head for something, then on the furs he slept on. She nudged him again, more insistently and gestured towards the cave opening again. Pushing himself up the two carefully made their way out of the cave without waking any of the others.

* * *

In the Cave of Skulls, it was Barbara's turn with the bone piece. Now she was a little breathless as she worked at sawing the clothes binding Ian's wrists. Silently she glanced over to Susan beside her, who was once again trying to bite through her own bindings, before looking back down at her work. Susan looked up from her work and glanced around the cave before she froze and let out a scream, leaning into Barbara in fear.

Alongside one of the cave walls there was a bit of a gap between the stone and the wood covering the area shifted. Branches among the thick were pushed forward revealing the old woman making her way through. Once in, the old woman glanced around at each of them before standing straight. "You will not make fire," she commanded them.

* * *

Outside the mouth of the sleeping cave Za and the woman stepped forward glancing all about them. They scanned the perimeter looking for any movement around but found none. Za crossed his arms and turned to the woman beside him.

"Now tell me," Za asked quietly, taking this meeting very seriously.

"I saw the old woman take your knife," the woman whispered to him.

Za glanced down at her. "Why did you let her?" he asked. "She's old. You could have held her."

"But why did she take it," she wondered.

Za glanced about, "Hm, she has gone into the forest."

"No," the woman spoke up, thinking it all through. "She is going to kill the strangers."

"Did she say this," Za asked, leaning close.

"No. But she took your knife," she reasoned. "And she is afraid of fire."

Za growled. "You should have stopped her."

The woman moved to stand at Za's other side. "Kal was in the cave," she told him. "Leaders are awake when others sleep. The strange tribe will not be able to show you how to make fire if the old woman kills them," she told him.

"If I stop her from killing them, they will give fire to me," he guessed. "Not to Kal." He looked down to her before moving over to the sealed cave. Sizing up the boulder blocking the way he began to wonder. "The woman could not have got into the cave. The great stone is still there," he argued. "Why do you tell me this?!" he shouted, shoving the woman back.

Stumbling back, the woman fell against the rockface and fell. "No. No!" she cried out as Za brandished his club at her. She froze, hand in midair. "Shush!" she whispered, and clambered up to crouch up to the large stone. Curious, Za leaned in closer to the stone to listen as well.

"The old woman is talking to them," Za exclaimed.

* * *

"I will set you free," the old woman told the prisoners. "If," she continued, "you go away and not make fire. Fire will bring trouble and death to the tribe."

"There will be no fire," Susan's grandfather spoke up quickly, warily watching her closely.

Hearing a noise at the front of the cave, everyone looked up to see some movement from the boulder blocking the entrance.

* * *

Grunting and straining with effort both Za and the woman tried with all their might to move the boulder blocking the cave. It seemed to shift the slightest, but stood steadfast in place.

Collapsing back against it breathless, the woman gasped, "No, we cannot move the great stone."

Za leaned across the stone and growled at her. "The old woman is talking to them," he said. Grabbing her arm, he shoved her out of the way and moved to her side of the rock. "I will move it." He then began shoving with all his might.

* * *

Having freed Ian and Susan's grandfather, the old woman was working on cutting free the last of the girls' bindings. "Hurry, hurry," she said as the last of it came loose. Ian reached down and pulled Barbara to her feet, hurrying her towards the wooded exit after Susan. "You must go across the tuft and into the trees," the old woman told them. Climbing out after the girls and Susan's grandfather, Ian agreed to her in understanding. After they were out and running, the old woman slowly began climbing up to the exit, groaning with effort.

Behind her, the rock gave way unblocking the cave entrance. Za rushed in, finding the prisoners gone. He ran across and grabbed the old woman before she could get away. Taking a hold of her arm he threw her back into the open area of the cave and snarled at her.

"She set them free," his woman exclaimed, coming in behind him.

"They would have made fire," the old woman explained. "They would have made fire!"

The younger woman pushed at Za's arm moving behind him to see the exit. "Here!" she exclaimed.

Za turned to see the exit and the old woman rushed him trying to pull him back. With a shout, he shoved her away and threw her to the ground. She laid still after a groan. Moving around the cave, the younger woman touched a hand to his arm in comfort. "They have gone into the night," he growled.

"They have taken fire with them," the younger woman told him.

"The beasts will kill them," he replied, knowing their chance at fire would die with them. "The beasts will kill us if we follow," he continued trying to weigh his options.

"Now you are leader," she persisted. "You are as strong as the beasts. You will be stronger still when you know how fire is made. Stronger than Kal."

He looked down to her about to say something when the old woman started to groan again. With a huff, Za ran over to the hidden exit and rushed out. The young woman hurried to follow and the old woman lay on the floor, groaning as she tried to get up before she fell backwards.

* * *

In the jungle, Barbara ran through the trees, pushing branches out of the way ahead of her. It was still dark out and various noises and animal calls could be heard coming from the dark depths of the trees. Close behind her, Susan ran through gasping for breath. Soon Ian came jogging behind them, while minding Susan's grandfather gasping as he tried to keep up in the rear.

"Stop," called out the old man in distress as he came to pause beside a thick tree. "Just a minute, let me get my…"

"We can't stop here," Ian argued, the group having stopped for him.

"Just a moment," the old man wheezed, not accustomed to running.

"Look we've got to go further on," Ian told him in a hurried whisper.

"I know! I know that!" the old man interrupted. "But I must get… breath... I must breath," he puffed out.

"Try. Try," Ian encouraged, his own voice a bit breathless. He gave the man a moment before he sized him up, "I shall have to carry you," he said.

"Oh, there's no need for that. Don't be so childish. I'm not senile," the old man argued. "Just let me get my breath for a moment."

"Oh, grandfather," Susan's voice called out, "Come on!" She jogged over to them and sipped her grandfather's arm over her shoulders.

"Yes, yes," he replied. "I know. I'm not so young you know," he told Ian as Susan began pulling him along the way.

As they made their way along Barbara came over to Ian. "Are-are you sure this is the right way?" she asked him.

"Yes," he said, glancing around. "I think so."

"I can't remember," admitted Barbara. "I simply can't remember," she cried, leaning against him.

"We're free, Barbara. Think about that," he told her, gently taking her arms. "Free."

"Yes, yes," she agreed.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kept her close as they followed after Susan and her grandfather, listening and glancing around as they heard various animals screeching. A sudden roar startled them, and they jumped. Clutching Ian's coat, Barbara glanced about frightened as they slowed their pace to glance about them. Stepping a bit more quickly they followed their companions further into the jungle.

"I'm sure I remember this place," Susan called out from the front, pulling her grandfather along with her. She let go of her grandfather a moment to pause and try to catch her breath, panting.

"Yes, but we didn't come around it, we went across it," Barbara agreed, holding onto Ian's sleeve with one hand as they followed behind. "There was a sort of trail," she remembered.

"If that's true, we must be quite near the ship," exclaimed Ian, shifting his arm to take Barbara's hand in his own. "How are you feeling?" he asked Susan's grandfather.

"I'm alright," he said, resting a hand on Susan's should as she started moving again. "Don't keep looking upon me as the weakest link of the party," he grumbled, following her.

Pulling back from everyone, Barbara gasped out loud at something off to her right in terror. "Are you all right?" Ian asked, grabbing hold of her. Pulling her into his arms, he tried to follow her gaze. "What's the matter?"

"I don't know. I saw something," she breathed. Susan and her grandfather pulled back to stick together, her grandfather pulling Susan to stand a bit behind him. "Over there in the bushes," she continued.

"What nonsense," Susan's grandfather muttered, still holding on to Susan.

"The bushes moved. I saw them. I saw them!" Barbara argued, eyes never leaving the spot she was watching. "Oh, we're never going to get out of this awful place," she cried. "Never. Never. Never!"

"Barbara," Ian called, pulling her closer to him and shaking her a little.

Susan turned to her grandfather. "What do you think it could have been?" she asked him.

"Sheer nonsense, child," he assured her as his eyes continued roving the area. "Imagination."

"We'll die in this place!" Barbara cried into Ian's coat.

"Barbara, no, we won't," he said, trying to console her. "We're going to get back to the ship and then we'll be safe," he assured her.

"Ian, what's happening to us?" she sobbed.

He soothed her hair down, "Look, Barbara, we got out of the cave, didn't we?" he asked her.

Susan and her grandfather were beginning to catch their breath once again. Susan pulled her coat a bit tighter around her, shivering. "I'm so cold," she groaned.

Her grandfather was wiping sweat off his face with his handkerchief. "And I'm hot with all this exertion," he exclaimed as Barbara began to calm down.

"We'll rest for a couple of minutes," Ian announced, moving Barbara to sit down.

Susan smiled, "Oh, good." She moved to stand next to her grandfather again. "Is there any chance of them following us?" she asked.

"I expect so," he admitted, waving his handkerchief around.

Once Barbara was settled down Ian leaned over to the other two, "Yes," he said. "That's why I don't want to stop here too long." Susan moved to sit next to Barbara.

"Do you think I want to?" demanded her grandfather angrily.

"No," Ian answered, licking his lips. "We'll change the order. You and Susan go in front. Barbara and I will bring up the rear. Susan seems to remember the way better than any of us."

The old man laughed. "Well, you seem to have elected yourself leader of this little party," he said looking up at Ian.

"There isn't time to vote on it," Ian bit out.

"Just as long as you understand I won't follow your orders blindly," the old man told Ian.

"If there were only two of us, you could find your own way back to the ship," Ian snapped.

"Aren't you a tiresome young man?" the argument continued.

"And you're a stubborn old man. But you will lead. The girls in between and I'll bring up the rear. Because that's the safest way," Ian insisted. "Barbara was probably right. I thought I heard something when we stopped back there," he admitted.

The old man looked up sharply before he frowned. "Oh, sheer imagination," he tried to argue.

"Why are you so confident about it?" Ian asked, incredulously.

"I won't allow myself to be frightened out of my wits by mere shadows. That's all," Susan's grandfather raised his chin before stomping off a few steps towards the girls. Despite their sharp words at one another they had been careful to keep their voices low so that they didn't disturb the girls.

"Right," Ian said, rolling his eyes as he looked around their surroundings. He joined the group and sat next to Barbara, putting his arm around her shoulders in comfort.

* * *

Za hurried through the jungle, chasing after the group followed closely by his woman.

"Look," she exclaimed quietly, pointing down at the grown before them. "There is a branch broken."

"They have strange feet," he commented, looking at their tracks.

"They wear skins on their feet," she explained, eyes trained on the tacks.

Za glanced further down the path. "There are marks here," he pointed out.

"They've gone this way," his companion pointed out, eyes darting ahead of them.

A loud roar interrupted their thoughts and they froze momentarily. Cautiously they glanced in the direction it had come from. Trying not to move much, they glanced back towards the tracks.

"It was wrong to do this," Za said. "We should not have followed them."

"We cannot turn back now," his companion argued.

With a grunt, he stood back up, taking off down the path after the tracks with her close behind.

* * *

The group was resting momentarily, all sitting upon a fallen log. Cautiously Ian stood back up. "I think we'd better get going," he told the group. "Doctor, will you lead?" he asked.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes," the old man replied getting up from where he sat fanning himself with his scarf. He pulled Susan up who quickly took off after him.

Ian reached down to pull Barbara up, "Come on, Barbara," he said, offering his hand. Taking a step forward, Barbara tripped over something and face planted down into the dirt. Sitting up, she could feel her hands wet, having landed into some sort of puddle. She looked down and saw her hands coated in blood. Startled, she let out a scream. Looking around she came to see she was face to face with the dead carcass of some sort of giant wild boar.

In the distance, Za heard the scream, and stopped to listen carefully.

"Barbara, Barbara," Ian soothed.

"Down there," Za whispered. "That was one of the women." Quickly he took off after the sound.

"A dead animal," Susan marveled, running her fingers over the carcasses' head.

"Must have just been killed," the Doctor explained, taking a look at it. "By a larger animal, too," he concluded.

Za and his companion crept through the woods towards the sounds ever closer.

Ian looked up suddenly, shushing the group. "That must be them," he announced. "They followed us." He pointed over to some bushes. "Quick! Quick, over there!" Quickly the group managed to hide in the jungle just moments before Za arrived to the clearing where the dead boar lay. Stepping through carefully, he and his companion kept low and scanned the area. "Keep down and not a sound," warned Ian as they hid. Silently they watched the two come into sight.

Nearby everyone could hear the snarling of a large, wild animal. Za and his companion looked around now fearful. The woman made a move step forward, but Za pulled her back. "Wait. Stay here. There is danger. I will go," he told her before stepping into the dark jungle. The woman waited tensely listening intensely.

A low growl was heard, then a shout as a large panther jumped to attack Za. It was one he recognized to be an old enemy of his from many a failed hunt because of it. The woman let out a scream as she moved a few steps closer and saw Za go down. She sobbed, but didn't dare move closer, listening and watching the beast attack.

From the trees, the group watched at distance and could hear the woman sobbing aloud.

"Quick! Now's our chance. Let's get away. Run!" urged Ian.

Barbara didn't move. "Look at them! We can't just leave them," she pleaded. "I don't care what they've done."

"Barbara," Ian argued, trying to pull her away. "Barbara, come on!"

"I think he's dead. There isn't any danger. No!" she argued, trying to pull away.

"Barbara! For heaven's sake!" he shouted as she ran out into the clearing. Instantly he ran after her.

"I'm going too," shouted Susan, pulling away from her grandfather.

"Susan!" he called, grabbing a hold of her and pulling her back. "You stay here with me!"

"No, grandfather, we can't leave them!" she cried.

"Silence! We're going back to the ship!"

"No!" she yelled, squirming out of his grasp. Quickly she darted out after her teachers.

"What are you doing?" he asked out loud. "They must be out of their minds," he concluded before stepping out after them.

In the clearing, the woman was crying as she was crouched over Za's body. There were numerous cuts and gashes all bleeding across his chest. He lay there unconscious on the grass, moaning out as the woman jostled him trying to rouse him. Hearing the group approach, she grabbed a stone and brandished it at them not leaving his side.

"Let me take a look at them," Ian asked, coming closer.

"No," she shouted, raising the stone threateningly.

"I am… your friend," he tried again. "You understand? Friend. I want to help him." He kept his voice even as he kneeled down beside them.

"Friend?" she repeated back.

"I want water," he told her. "A lot of it."

"Water," she repteated.

"Go and fetch some water for his wounds," Ian instructed, pointing down at the cuts.

"Water is there," the woman answered, pointing off in one direction.

Barbara came closer and kneeled next to her. "Please," she asked. "Show me where." The woman looked down at Za. "Give me your handkerchief," Barbara asked Ian, eyes still watching the woman and pulling out one of her own.

"Oh, yes," he pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her as the woman stood and hurried off. Barbara quickly followed.

"Is he all right?" Susan asked, watching everything curiously.

"I think so," Ian replied, opening the furs over Za's chest more to get a better look. Barbara and the woman returned with the handkerchiefs sopping wet. "He must have buried his axe head in the animal," Ian guessed, looking at the club. Barbara handed one of the cloths to him. "Ah, thank you."

The woman watched amazed as Ian squeezed the cloth over Za's chest and began cleaning the wound. "Water comes out of the skin!" she exclaimed with wonder. Barbara took her cloth and began cleaning the wound on the side of Za's head.

"I think most of this is the animal's blood," Ian said, finding the cuts fairly shallow.

"Good," Barbara replied. "There's a scar on the side of his head," she observed as she tore up pieces from her slip to make bandages for him.

"Well, we've lost our chance of getting away," Ian mused. "Your flat must be littered with stray cats and dogs," he joked at Barbara with a small chuckle.

"These are human beings, Ian," she replied, not finding the humor at the moment.

"Yes," he agreed soberly. Za cried out, regaining consciousness. Barbara shifted to kneel on Za's other side while the woman moved to hold his face.

"What, exactly, do you think you're doing?" the doctor asked them, watching their every move.

Ian ignored the question. "Have you got any antiseptic in the ship?" he asked.

"Yes, lots," answered Susan from where she stood by her grandfather.

The doctor continued, "One minute ago we were trying desperately to get away from these savages."

"All right," Ian conceded. "Now we're helping them. You're a doctor, do something."

"I'm not a doctor of medicine," he retorted.

"Grandfather, we can make friends with them," argued Susan.

The old man stepped around the group. "Don't be ridiculous, child," he said.

"Why," Barbara asked. "You treat everybody and everything as something less important than yourself."

"You're trying to say that everything you do is reasonable, and everything I do is inhuman?" he demanded. "Well, I'm afraid your judgement's at fault, Miss Wright, not mine. Haven't you realized if these two people can follow us, any of these people can follow us? The whole tribe might descend upon us at any moment," he argued.

The woman, watching everything, spoke up, "The tribe is asleep," she said.

"And what about the old woman who cut our bonds? Hmm? You understand?" he asked her.

The woman paused, thinking hard. Unable to think of something, she looked to Ian beside her.

"He's right," he said. "We're too exposed here." Ian glanced about them. "We'll make a stretcher and carry him."

"You're not taking him back to the ship?" the doctor asked, incredulous.

"Take your coat off, Barbara," Ian instructed, shrugging off his overcoat. "Susan, try and find me two poles. Long ones, fairly straight."

"The old woman won't give us away," Barbara argued. "She helped us."

"You think so?" the Doctor asked. "These people have logic and reason, have they? Can't you see their minds change as rapidly as night and day? She's probably telling the whole tribe at this very moment."

* * *

Back in the Cave of Skulls, the old woman started to shift around, opening her eyes. Slowly, she made her way to a sitting position, where Kal discovered her. Grabbing hold of her shoulders, he helped support her sitting up as her eyes fluttered between open and closed.

"The creature," he asked her. "Where? Where?"

"Gone," she croaked, tiredly.

He glanced back up at the entrance he just came through. "The great stone… They could not move it."

The old woman opened her eyes again briefly, "Za moved it," she told him.

Confused, his brows furrowed and he looked away thinking hard. "Za has gone with them?" he asked.

"Za and Hur went after them," the woman replied.

"There were skins around their hands and their feet," he argued. "They could not move," he wondered aloud. "Za helped them to get free? They're gone with Za to show him fire?" he asked her growing more angry by the moment. He grabbed her face roughly as he held her awaiting her answer.

She shook her head. "They won't make fire. There won't be fire anymore," she told him, sitting forward and throwing herself balance off in the process. He grabbed at her shoulders to hold her sitting upright.

"Old woman," he said, "you… helped them." Taking his stone off of his belt he raised it high above his head in anger.

* * *

"It's not going to work like this," Ian said as he and Barbara tried to tie their jackets together trying to make the stretcher.

Susan shed her coat and bunched it up. She moved to put it under Za's head as a pillow when Hur, the woman, stood up and rushed over, shooing Susan away.

"No!" Hur cried out. "He's mine."

The girl cried out in fright and hid behind Ian, clutching to him to get away from the glaring woman. "I was only trying to help," she cried out.

"She doesn't understand, Susan," Ian explained, holding on to Susan to provide some comfort. Hur began fretting about Za, warily watching Susan behind Ian. "She's jealous of you," he continued.

"I don't understand what you are doing," Hur said quietly. "You are like a mother with a child. Why do you not kill?" she asked of the group.

Ian turned to Barbara. "How can we explain to her?" he asked. "She doesn't understand kindness, friendship."

Reaching up to smooth down some of her hair, Barbara turned to fully face Hur. "We will make him well again," she tried to explain. "We will teach you how to make fire," she continued, "In return, you show us the way back to… to our cave."

"Listen to them," Za's quiet voice broke the silence that followed. "They do not kill."

"Come on," Ian said, leaning down, "let's get on with this stretcher." Barbara and Susan moved to help him. "Let's try the sleeves inside. That's it."

"Oh, I'm so thirsty," exclaimed Susan, fanning herself. "I need some water."

Hur stood and took hold of Susan's arm. "I show you where water is," she told her. Susan smiled wide at her. Guiding the way Hur froze and the smile dropped when she saw the Doctor watching her, but she side stepped him towards the water with Susan, returning just a few moments later.

"How about giving us a hand, Doctor?" Ian called from where the group worked, but the man stood silently and turned away from them.

"He's always like this if he doesn't get his own way," Susan supplied, shooting a dark look at his figure from where she worked. That made the old man pull a face and glance over to them, but he stayed silent.

"The old woman won't give us away," Barbara said. That prompted the Doctor to walk over to them. "And now that we've got these two on our side, we should get back to the ship."

"Yes," Susan agreed.

The Doctor rummaged around the ground around them and found a sharpened stone, likely dropped by Hur. Picking it up, Ian grabbed his hand. "Get your hand off me," the Doctor shouted.

"What are you doing?" Ian asked, not letting go.

"Well... I-I" the Doctor stammered. "I was going to get him to draw our way back to the T.A.R.D.I.S." Ian let go of his hand.

"We've been too long as it is," he argued. "Is the stretcher ready?" he called out behind them.

"Yes," Barbara answered.

"Alright, you take one end of it," Ian instructed the Doctor.

"You don't expect me to carry him, do you?" he asked as the girls started lifting him up.

"Do you want the women to do the job for you?" Ian asked, turning back to look at him.

"Oh, very well," the Doctor relented.

As a group the rolled Za and maneuvered the stretcher beneath him, causing him to cry out in pain. Each cry of his was matched by a sympathetic one by Hur, who was trying to help.

"Good. Right, now, Susan, you get in front with her," Ian instructed.

* * *

Outside of the cave the tribe was all gathered together. They murmured amongst themselves loudly as Kal stood before them. "They have gone!" he announced. "Za and Hur have gone with them and we must go after them."

Horg stepped forward before them. "Hur would not help them to get away," he yelled.

"She has gone with them," Kal countered.

"The old woman sleeps in the cave, too, and she has gone," Horg tried again.

Kal quickly replied, "the old woman is in the Cave of Skulls."

Angry, Horg cried out, "Hur would not go with them!"

Jumping down from the slab of rock he had been crouched upon, Kal came to stand before Horg. "Ask the old woman," he said. "She will tell what is done."

* * *

In the jungle, Hur and Susan led the party through the woods as the Doctor and Ian followed carrying the stretcher. Barbara brought up the rear, keeping a look out behind them.

* * *

The tribe all gathered in the Cave of Skulls around the old woman who sitting up. "She will tell," Horg said, lightly kicking her shoulder with his foot. Her body collapsed down, seemingly boneless, causing gasps around the crowd. Crouching down, one of the men felt around her face and over her mouth and under her nose. After a moment, he closed her lifeless eyes.

"My eyes tell me what has happened," said Kal to the people. "As they do when I sleep and I see things. Za and Hur came to free them… and find a way to make fire. Old woman saw them. Za killed old woman." The crowd began murmuring amongst themselves.

"The old woman is dead," announced Horg. The people groaned in sadness. "It must have been as your eyes said it was," he said sadly.

Kal stood before the people. "Za has gone with them, taking them to their cave. Za takes away fire. Now I, Kal, lead!" The crowd yelled in assent. "Go!" he commanded them, leading a charge into the jungle.

* * *

Susan emerged from a break in the trees and gasped out. "The T.A.R.D.I.S.! There's the T.A.R.D.I.S." she cried excitedly. She and Barbara who was now in front helped clear the tree limbs out of the way for the men carrying the stretcher and Hur who was bringing up the rear.

Figures started emerging up from hiding spots on the ground around the T.A.R.D.I.S. holding up spears threateningly.

"Back!" cried Ian. "Back. Go Back!"

Turning around, Susan let out a scream to find Kal and some other tribesmen emerge from the trees of the jungle.


	4. The Fire Maker

The tribe stood together and watched intently as the group was led before them once again, and how they carried Za on the stretcher to the clearing. They did not understand that Za was injured yet, and were confused as to why he was laying down on the strange and flimsy slab that was being carried. Gently the group set down the stretcher before tribesmen grabbed a hold of them to prevent another escape so soon. Susan let out an indignant scream as the girls were dragged off in the direction of the caves once again, squirming around, trying to put up something of a fight. Quickly it soon felt as though it were just Za on the stretcher and Hur staying by his side before the tribe.

"Za," Kal called out, approaching. "and the woman went with them," he announced to the tribe, glancing around. "I, Kal," he began again, "stopped them." The crowd around them hung upon his every word, eager to know what had happened. Hearing of his deed, they felt more support for Kal claiming to be their leader.

"They saved Za from death near the stream," Hur spoke up from her crouched position. She glared up at Kal defiantly. She made to speak again, but was cut off.

"They set them free from the Cave of Skulls and went with him," he called out, accusingly as he met her glare. The crowd continued to listen to his every word and in turn glared down at Hur and Za with anger. Kal tried to stare down Hur, but she continued to meet his stare with her own.

"The old woman cut them free," she tried to explain, sure that the truth could come out.

"Za is so weak," Kal continued, ignoring her words, "that a woman speaks for him," he sneered. On the stretcher Za tossed his head from side to side half in and out of consciousness. He groaned out in effort to speak, move, do anything, but it just furthered his pain. Kal watched him writhe indifferently. How could one so weak ever hope to defeat him and be leader? Only Kal was strong enough. Only Kal would survive this.

Hur stood quickly. Walking over she stood before Kal, her glare even more fierce. "The old woman," she tried again. "She showed them a new way out of the cave of skulls," she explained further. Standing right before his face she was daring him to ignore her again.

"The old woman does not speak," he replied tersely. "She does not say she did this or did that. The old woman is dead." Quiet murmurs of unrest broke out amongst the crowd in upset. "Za killed old woman," he exclaimed to the crowd, but his eyes continued piercing Hur.

"No," yelled Hur, leaning closer to Kal in anger.

"Za killed the old woman with his knife!" he exclaimed with a harrumph. Stepping around Hur, Kal moved to kneel beside Za. Everyone in the crowd watched filled with anticipation. Hur jumped down to shield Za, but Kal reached for Za's belt and pulled out his stone, holding it high in his fist. "Here!" he called out to the crowd. Walking around before them he held it up to show everyone the rock in his hand. "Here is the knife he killed her with," he said, coming to stand before the Doctor.

The Doctor leaned close to examine the stone. Reaching up a hand to point at it, he turned to Kal. "This knife has no blood on it," he declared to everyone. Grunts of confusion filled the crowd. "I said this knife has no blood on it," he called out more clearly looking to Kal. "There's no blood on it." He carefully watched for Kal's reaction, staying on the balls of his feet.

Kal grunted and let out a growl before taking a closer look at the stone in his hand. There was no blood on it whatsoever. Kal's brows furrowed and he realized his mistake, and his mind raced trying to think up something. "It doesn't matter," he ended up saying, throwing the stone to the ground where it landed with a dull thud. "It does not show the things it does," he continued.

"It is a finer knife than yours," the Doctor challenged, taking a step toward Kal. Surprised, Kal took a step back before facing this invasion of space.

"I, Kal, say it is a bad knife," Kal bit out at the Doctor. This time it was Kal who stepped forward, but the Doctor stood firm against him, and instead even leaned in some more.

"That knife can cut," the Doctor replied, "and stab," he added impressively. "I've never seen a better knife," the Doctor declared with a smirk.

Kal growled, enraged by the Doctor's words and infernal smirk. Grappling with his own belt, Kal looked down and pulled out his stone knife. Clenching it within his fist, Kal held his knife up to the Doctor angrily.

The Doctor gingerly plucked the stone from Kal's tense fingers. "This knife shows what it has done," he called out to the crowd. "There is blood on it!" Turning around, the Doctor presented the knife to the people, red blood glistening on it for all to see. They gasped and began murmuring again, this time against Kal. Bending over Za who had since woken up again, the Doctor presented him the knife. "Who killed the old woman?" he asked.

"I did not kill her," Za denied, staring up at the crowd earnestly.

Whirling back, the Doctor pointed at Kal. "You killed the old woman," he shouted.

"Yes," Kal admitted to the booing crowd. "She set them free," he tried to explain. "She set them free," he repeated, his voice raising. "She did this," he yelled. "I, Kal, killed her!"

The Doctor turned back to face the crowd as Kal glowered behind him. "Is this your strong leader?" he asked them. "One who kills an old woman?" he began to wander before them, working up their fervor. "He is a bad leader," he declared, "he will kill you all!" Making his way over to Ian he leaned up and quickly whispered to him, "Follow my example," before bending over the ground. Picking up a stone he judged its weight. "Drive him out," he whispered to Ian. Then, he lobed the rock at Kal. "Out!" he repeated.

"Yes," shouted Ian, leaning down and picking up a stone of his own. "Drive him out! He killed the old woman!" He then swung his arm back, took aim, and threw the stone at Kal. Hur grabbed the next stone and hurled it at Kal. Others quickly followed suit and started pelting him with pebbles and rocks. While they didn't really harm him, they did give him quite a startle.

Shocked, Kal let out an enraged cry before charging forward at Ian. The crowd drew together and rebuffed him, tossing him back. More of them started picking up stones to throw, driving him back. Kal stood and tried to deflect some of the stones, but soon Za found the strength to stand and walked to the front of the crowd as they continued the assault. Kal quickly fell back and retreated into the distance.

Glancing around him, Ian noticed the Doctor had disappeared from right under his nose. He made a quick circle about himself looking around, but could only see members of the crowd beginning to disperse. Making his way through the throng, he walked over to stand beside Za, who stood at the edge of the clearing, panting with exertion, watching where Kal had disappeared to. "Remember," he told Za, pulling his attention back. "Kal is not stronger than the whole tribe."

Za turned to face the crowd. "Kal is no longer one of this tribe!" he shouted to them. He turned back to the dark trees, glaring out into the distance. "We will watch for him," he called over his shoulder. Turning back to the group, he pushed past Ian to stand amongst the people. "We will all fight Kal if he comes back. We will watch for him," he said to the cheering crowd. "Now, take them to the Cave of Skulls!" he gestured towards the prisoners.

Ian struggled against the men restraining him as they dragged him past Za towards the mouth of the cave. "Take us back to the desert and we will make fire for you," he demanded of him.

"The great stone will close one place," Za replied, speaking to one of the larger of the tribesmen. "But you will stand guard at another place. I will show you." Ian's face fell. "Take them," commanded Za. Ian struggled against the captors, but could not escape their hold as they dragged him away.

"Don't struggle," called out the Doctor to Ian from his own captivity before he, too, was dragged off.

The crowd all watched the events unfold, amazed by all that happened. "They are inside the cave," announced Za before them as he moved to stand before the mouth of the cave. "If you see them come out," he continued, turning to face them, "kill them."

* * *

Stepping into the cave, the small group kept huddled together with Susan and her grandfather in front and Ian and Barbara just behind them. Lurching forward, Susan tripped over the heel of the deal old woman lying on the ground and cried out in terror before she started crying. Barbara hugged the girl into her chest and moved them away from the body to comfort her as the men stepped about looking all around them. They now had a better look around them being their second time trapped in the cave.

"This place is evil," the Doctor commented, moving to step far away from the dead body just left there to rot. Ian stepped out farther examining along all the walls looking for anything helpful.

* * *

Weak, Za sat propped against one of the stone walls beside Hur, who was staring up at him intently. He was loosely clutching at his right side. "Tell me what happened after I fought the beast in the forest," he commanded her.

"You were stronger than the beast," she started. "He took away your axe in its head. Then, you lay on the earth." She paused here to look away from him, no longer trying to catch his eye as he listened. "I believed you were dead," she stopped here with a lump in her throat.

He looked down at her then, before returning his gaze straight ahead of him. "Tell me what they did," he implored, keeping his voice steady.

"The young man of their tribe came towards you, but he did not kill," she told him, with curiosity in her voice. She still could not comprehend this. "He told me his name," she started again.

"Name?" Za asked, looking at her again curious.

"His name is Friend," she answered slowly, making sure she was pronouncing it correctly.

Nodding, he looked back before him in thought. "They come from the other side of the mountains," he concluded.

"Nothing lives there," Hur scoffed, looking away.

Za growled. "There are other tribes there," he insisted. "So their tribe must come from the hill. Tell me more of what happened," he commanded again.

She looked back up to him before starting once again. "I did not understand," she began, screwing up her face in a confused expression. "Their hands moved slowly and their faces were not fierce. It was like a mother guarding her baby," she tried to describe.

Again Za nodded his head as if understanding something. "They are a new tribe," he decided. "Not like us. Not like Kal," he paused to snort. "The young one whose name is Friend. He spoke to me," he told her.

Leaning forward she listened very carefully. "Do you remember it?" she asked.

Za chuckled. "He said, 'Kal is not stronger than the whole tribe,'" he told her.

"Ungh," she mumbled, shaking her head. That did not make sense to her. "I do not understand," she told him.

He looked down to her and tried to explain, "the whole tribe drove Kal away with the stones." He continued thinking on it and added on, "the whole tribe can collect more fruit than one. The whole tribe can kill a beast where one of the tribe would die," he explained, getting more excited about the idea.

After a moment of silence, Hur looked up hesitantly. "Do you think they come from Orb?" she asked in awe of these ideas.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "They are a tribe who know how fire is made… but they do not want to tell us," he ended with a growl in frustration.

"Then you will not kill them," she said. She was able to understand that if they are killed, any chance of fire would be killed with them. Then without fire, the tribe would die. She watched him silently for a moment as he seemed to struggle with his decision.

"Horg said leader must know how fire is made," he argued. Looking at her he continued, "I do not want to be driven into the forest like Kal," he confessed. "I must make fire, or they must die," he told her, "as the old men say." With that he stood up to stand at the opening of the cave. She quickly rose to stand beside him, watching his face filled with concern. "I will speak with them," he told her. "I must hear more things to remember. The leader would have things to remember." She watched him exit the cave silently, her expression deep in thought.

* * *

Back in the cave, the group was working hastily. The Doctor sat to one side examining into one of the fairly clean skulls from off the floor. Susan was digging around the corners of the room before her hand came across a couple pieces of flint. Grabbing it, she brought them over to where Ian sat rubbing sticks together next to Barbara who was piling some brush and dried plant together.

"I think this is what you needed, Mr. Chesterton," Susan said, offering the stones out to Ian. He set the sticks down momentarily to take them from her and murmured a quick thanks.

Following Ian's instructions, Barbara and Susan spread out the dried grass and brush into a circle around the twigs Ian picked up to hold in place. He placed a piece of stone atop one of the sticks holding it in place, then he started rubbing the other stick against the shaft. "I really hope this works," he muttered to himself as he continued to rub them together.

* * *

Outside the no longer hidden cave exit the guard standing duty heard something approaching. Looking to his right he saw Za approach and greeted him.

"I will speak with them," Za told him. Eyeing the large club the guard was wielding, Za plucked it from his hands for himself before turning towards the cave entrance. "You will wait here," he commanded of him. As Za stepped into the opening, the guard turned to resume standing guard.

Unknowingly, just above the guard, Kal lay flat upon one of the rocks, watching all that happened.

* * *

In the cave, Ian continued rubbing the sticks together. Barbara and Susan were holding the kindling close to the sticks beside him. The Doctor, curious, had come over to watch over their shoulders their progress. "I can smell something," exclaimed Susan.

"Yes, so can I," agreed Barbara, breathing in that wonderful smoky scent of burning wood.

They all kept their heads down close to the bundle keeping watch for any sparks to catch. So excited for the smell of burning wood, Susan cried out, "It's burning, it's burning!" in excitement.

Ian continued furiously rubbing the sticks. "It's a long way off yet," he told her.

They all looked up at the sound of Za entering the cave, club in hand. Quickly he came to stoop over them watching what they did. "What is this?" he demanded, eyes never leaving the workings.

The Doctor stood next to him and explained, "We are making fire," drawing his attention away from the pile towards him. Starting at the sound of fire, Za turned back to the group.

"You are called Friend?" Za asked, pointing to Ian.

Ian looked up, surprised. "Yes," he replied, watching Za.

"Hur said you are called Friend. I am called Za," he introduced, gesturing towards himself with his empty arm. "You are the leader of your tribe?" he asked.

Ian paused, looking around at the group. "No," he answered. He nodded towards the Doctor. "He is our leader," he told Za, before going to back to rubbing the sticks to make fire. Susan lit up at the statement, and the Doctor stood up a little straighter, keeping his eyes on Za beside him. Za watched the Doctor with much interest.

"Are you going to set us free?" Susan asked.

Za turned back towards the group. "The tribe say you are from Orb," he told them, "and that when you are returned to him on the stone of death we will have fire again."

"But that's not true," Barbara spoke up, pleading with him to believe them. She kept quiet as Za crouched down and lowered his voice to speak again.

"I think you are from the other side of the mountains," he confessed. "If you show me how to make fire, I will take you back to the foot of the mountains," he promised. "If you do not show me, I cannot stop you dying on the old stone."

"Two more leaves, and grass, please," Ian interrupted the tense atmosphere, intent on getting the fire started. Quickly Barbara leaned over to her little piles of supplies and added what he needed. "I think this should work," he added.

Everyone leaned in closer. "Do you understand?" the Doctor asked Za. "We," he gestured to himself and the group. "Are making fire," he rolled his hand a bit. "For you," he finished, pointing to Za.

"Yes," Za replied. "I am watching," he turned back to Ian away from the Doctor.

"The whole tribe should be watching," Ian argued as he worked. "Everyone should know how to make fire." His breath started getting a little short with the effort he was putting in to the sticks.

Za stared at him confused. "Everyone cannot be leader," he said in a loud voice, sounding angry.

Ian smiled up at him. "No," he agreed. "That's perfectly true." He turned to look back at his hands as he worked. "But in our tribe," he continued, "the fire maker is the least important man."

Za scoffed. "I do not believe it."

"He's the least important man, because we can all make fire," the Doctor explained to him slowly.

"Look, I think it's beginning to work," Ian exclaimed drawing attention back to the pile. "Susan, Barbara, blow. Gently."

As the two girls leaned in and gently added air to the sparks, they came to life, lighting up some of the kindling. They laughed with joy and the group leaned back to admire what had happened. Barbara shifted the twigs and sticks to the pile catching them on fire to help the fire grow and Ian was quick to follow suit.

Amazed, Za leaned in close to the flames. "Fire," he breathed in disbelief. "Fire, he called out.

* * *

Outside in the clearing, all of the tribe was gathered together. They all watched the slab of stone in the center with anticipation.

"Orb strikes the old stone," wondered Horg, "and Za does not bring them out!" he said, his voice rising before the people. The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves in discontent. "We have no meat," Horg continued, "and no fruit from the trees, and no roots." He moved before the people gaining more energy. "Za is no leader," he cried out.

"Za would kill you if he could hear you," Hur called out to him, glowering from the back of the crowd. "He is talking now with them in the Cave of Skulls." Pushing her way through the crowd she came to stand face to face with her father. "You should lie on the old stone until your blood runs into the earth," she condemned him, shaming him.

Angrily, Horg's face became a furious shade of red as he exclaimed, "Za is letting them go away! Just as the old woman set them free!" His voice continued to rise until he was screaming out the last word.

Hur turned to appeal to the people. "Za told one of them to watch and guard them until he came out of the Cave of Skulls!"

* * *

At the cave entrance, the guard paced back and forth before the opening. Kal jumped down from his hiding spot to behind the guards and grabbed the man around his neck, choking him. Unable to call out, the guard clawed at Kals' arms around his neck. Kal squeezed until the struggling stopped and the man fell to the ground.

* * *

Inside the cave more stick and branches had been added to the fire pit, and slowly the flames were beginning to build. Everyone in the room watched intently, mesmerized by the flames. A strangled cry from the hidden entrance startled everyone and they all jumped, seeing Kal climb in. Za stood to face him, standing between Kal and the fire. Kal struck out with his axe, making Za jump back to the other side of the fire. The Doctor stood and backed away out of the dangerous spot he found himself in, pulling Susan back with him. Ian pulled Barbara back as much he could from the fire, but they were near a wall and couldn't get as far as the Doctor.

Kal advanced on the fire and paused, mesmerized as well. Slowly he reached out a hand and swept it quickly through the flames, snatching it back from the heat. He sidestepped around the fire and swung his axe again at Za. Ian tried to pull Barbara somewhat under him to shield her should the axe come too close. The two fighters danced around behind the others ignoring them, focusing only on their opponent. Once they made their way past the huddled group, the others jumped up and moved farther away from the fighting watching intently.

The two swung wildly at each other, throwing weapon and fist alike. Kal tackled Za to the ground and they grappled with one another trying to best each other. One of them landed a fierce bite to the other's forearm. Getting back up, they ran at one another again and again, fighting and grappling. Eventually Za gained the upper hand and snapped Kal's neck. Standing above Kal's body, Za lifted up a great boulder and slammed it down upon Kal's head, ensuring total victory.

* * *

Out front of the cave, the tribe was becoming more and more angry and upset. The murmurs from before became loud cries against Za and his leadership. Hur shook her head in anguish trying to quiet their anger to no avail. Others hold her back as Horg's voice booms to the crowd. "The Orb is high on the old stone and there is no fire! We must bring them out before us! Let's go!" He cheered as they mob moved towards the sealed cave.

* * *

Ian took a long branch, lighting its end like a torch. "Take this," he told Za. "Show it to your tribe," he said, as everyone could hear the angry cries from out front. Barbara hugged Susan against her chest, trying to calm the frightened girl some. Ian passed the torch over to Za who had been holding his injured arm.

"You! Stay here!" Za shouted over the cries, heading to the entrance.

"We'll come with you," Ian began.

"No! Stay here!" Za interrupted, turning back. He again head towards the entrance. Ian moved to step forward, but Za growled and waved the flaming torch at him menacingly behind him.

The Doctor grabbed a hold of Ian, holding him back as Za continued forward. "No, give him a chance," he begged Ian. "Let him show the tribe the fire and establish himself as the leader. Then he can let us free," he told him.

"But we ought to go with him now," argued Ian, trying to move past the Doctor.

With some effort, the Doctor hauled Ian back from the entrance and glared.

* * *

Za emerged from the mouth of the cave with the torch. The crowd grows silent, staring at the flames. "Fire!" Za announced. Everyone drew close to him to get near the fire, amazed. "Kal is dead," he announced to them. "I give you fire. I am leader!" his voice raised to a shout. Everyone in the crowd cheers, Horg among the first to cry out. Making his way through the crowd, he continued. "We will give food and water to the new tribe in the Cave of Skulls!" he announced.

"There is no meat!" Horg argued.

"Then I will go into the forest and get meat."

"Yes," Horg marveled. "I remember how the meat and fire joined together."

"Good," Za nodded. "Watch the new tribe," he told the people. "They must be here when I return, he threatened. Handing the lit torch to Horg, Za dashed off into the forest.

* * *

Back in the cave, the group sat huddled together around their fire. Ian tore off his tie in frustration. "Gah," he exclaimed, "it didn't work. They're going to keep us here…" he trailed off angry, stuffing his tie into this blazer pocket. Behind them Hur arrived into the cave and sat a platter of nuts and berries between Ian and Barbara. "Why are you keeping us here," he demanded.

"Za is gone. He went into the forest to find meat. There will be more food later," she answered, walking around the fire across the room. She looked around the room searching the floor for something.

"But why can't we go outside?" Barbara asked.

"Please, let us go," begged Susan, close to tears. "It's terrible in here."

Hur spun around to face them. "Za is leader," she told them, before turning back to whatever she was digging through.

Susan crawled over towards her, "But we helped you!" she cried out. "We gave you fire."

Hur stood up and moved away from her. "Hn, we have fire now," she agreed before leaving the cave.

"Yes," Ian agreed from by the fire. "…and I was the fool who gave it to you," he lamented, not even noticing she was gone as he stared blankly ahead of him. "Oh, why didn't I wait?" he mumbled to himself.

Barbara leaned closer to him, drawing his attention away for the moment. "Well, at least we're alive," she told him. "We wouldn't be if we hadn't given them fire."

* * *

On the stone slab a great fire was build from the torch Ian had provided for the tribe. The people were elbowing one another trying to keep as close to the flame as they could be, Horg front and center. They continued to jostle against one another all with smiles on their face as they reached out to feel the warmth from the flames.

* * *

Ian was shaken awake. "Ian," Barbara called to him. Groggily, he sat up and rubbed his eyes to find the Doctor roasting something over their own flames. "They brought us some meat," she explained as Susan held out a small stone platter of cooked food. "And the Doctor found a stone with a hole in it and they filled it with water," she continued.

"All the comforts of home," he sighed, trying some of the food. Behind them Za entered the cave. Only Ian turned around, the others kept watching the fire and the meat the Doctor was cooking with a make-shift skewer made of bones.

"The animal was hard to kill," Za declared. "The meat on it is good." No one replied. "They have brought you fruit and water has been put into a stone." The room remained silent. With a grunt, Za shoved Ian out of the way and sat with them beside the fire. "Is this the stone?" he asked, picking up a stone container to examine it. Hearing no response, he looked at each of them. "Has anyone hurt you?" he asked.

"When are you going to let us go? Hm?" the Doctor asked, not looking up from his cooking.

"You will stay here," Za answered. "I have the meat, and I have the stick, and I have the skin. I can make fire now." He glanced around to everyone. "Your tribe and my tribe will join together," he told them.

"We don't want to stay here," Ian said, shifting to sit back by the fire beside Barbara.

"Why?" Za asked. "There is no better place the other side of the mountains. Do not try to leave here," he threatened. Standing, he began to leave.

"Quench the fire," the Doctor said aside. "Take the fire away from them, scaring them, somehow." He gazed at the fire deep in thought.

Picking up one of the larger branches from the fire, Susan carried it over away from the group. Staring at the flame, she picked up one of the skulls lying around and carefully stuck it on the end of the torch. It seemed to look like the fire was sprouting from inside the skull out the various openings. She smiled and gently carried it back to the fire. "Hey, Grandfather, look!" she exclaimed. "It's almost alive," she laughed.

"Not alive, Susan," Ian said, standing up to see the thing more clearly. "Almost dead." Getting an idea he waved over the other two, "we've got to make four torches. We'll make the sticks, and we'll use the fat from the meat, and then…" he trailed off.

"And then…?" Susan asked.

"And then to all intents and purposes, we're going to die," he explained.

* * *

Out by the larger fire, Hur finished roasting a choice piece of meat over the flames. Carefully she pulled it back from the flames and carried it, using her hand to shield it from the cool winds. She then started making her way over to the mouth of the cave.

"When I give the sign," whispered Ian, tucking Susan behind a large rock with the others before crouching down to hide himself.

When Hur walked into the cave she jumped at the sight. Before her stood four wooden spikes with flaming skulls upon them burning. In her fright, she dropped her meat and cried out in terror. Screaming she collapsed down before them and cowered from them. Hearing her screams others piled in only to also collapse by her and also cower from the flaming skulls.

From their hiding spots, the prisoners listened closely to what was happening.

"What do you thin-" Susan began to ask, only to immediately be shushed and cut off by Barbara clapping her hand over her mouth. After another few moments of listening, Ian nodded and they slid out the back behind the moaning people. They ran into the forest while the people were still afraid.

Just as they reached the edge of the forest, one of the torches in the cave fell over, startling the tribe. Za, seeing that they weren't alive, stood and went over, picking it up. "Look," he said, brandishing it, "it is nothing but fire and the bones of the dead." he declared.

The moaning died down quickly and confusion set in. Glancing around, Za realized what had happened. "They have gone," he roared. "They have escaped while we look at their fire! They are gone!"

"It is night!" Hur called out, standing. "The dark will hide them," she exclaimed with worry. Za reached into the fire pit and pulled out a large branch.

"With fire, it is day!" Holding the torch up high, he ran out of the cave into the jungle. Others were quick to follow, spreading out torches to every man and woman available.

* * *

In the jungle as the group ran, they could hear the cries of the tribesmen calling out behind them, urging them to pick up the pace. Racing through the jungle Susan kept the lead, guiding them back to the T.A.R.D.I.S. Upon reaching the ship they raced inside and quickly closed the doors. Panting for breath, Susan flipped on the scanner and they could see a ring of fire around the ship, showing them exactly how close of a call this was.

"Come on, Doctor!" Ian exclaimed, breathless. "Get us off! Get us off!"

"Yes, of course," the Doctor hurried over to the console with Susan and began to flip the switches and dials causing a familiarly strange sound to come from the machinery.

* * *

Outside of the T.A.R.D.I.S. the tribesmen were startled by the noise. They raised their spears and threw, trying to attack this strange tree. As the box disappeared, the spears passed through where it once stood, to the shock of all around.

* * *

Inside the T.A.R.D.I.S. the noise started to die down. Barbara watched Susan and the Doctor anxiously from a chair she sat on to catch her breath. She remembered being thrown off balance last time and was determined not to hit her head on anything.

"Yes, it's matching up," the Doctor said, watching one of the dials on the console.

"We're beginning to land," Susan replied.

The Doctor wiped his forehead with his dirty handkerchief. "Oh, how I wish!" the Doctor sighed.

Ian, from the other side of the console spoke up. "Have you taken us back to our own time?" he asked.

"You know I can't do that. Please be reasonable," the Doctor replied, exhausted.

"What?" Ian shouted.

"Please," Barbara pleaded, rushing over to the Doctor's side. "You must take us back. You must."

Frustrated, the Doctor gestured to the console. "You see, this isn't operating properly," he explained. "Or, rather, the code is still a secret." He walked around the console to look at some more screens and dials. "When you put the right data in, precise information to a second of the beginning of a journey, and then we can fix a destination, but I had no data at my disposal."

"Are you saying you don't know how to work this thing?" Barbara asked, sweeping an arm to gesture at the machine.

"Well, of course I can't," he replied. "I'm not a miracle worker," he grumbled as he came back to stand beside Susan.

"You can't blame Grandfather," she told Barbara. "We left the other place too quickly, that's all."

"Just a minute," Ian called out from across the console. "Did you try and take us back to our own time?" he asked.

"Well," the Doctor hedged. "I got you away from that other time, didn't I?" he busied himself with more dials and screens.

"That isn't what I asked you." Ian persisted.

"It's the only way I can answer you, young man."

After flipping another few switches the noises shut off from the ship. "Now," the Doctor said, "now we shall see." They all looked anxiously looked up to the monitor, seeing what was outside. On the screen displayed a strange, thick forest, with odd winding trees densely covering the area with some hanging vines rooted into the ground. They all looked desperately and not comprehending. "It could be anywhere!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Dear, dear, dear, dear. It's no help to us at all," he complained. "Well, I suggest before we go outside and explore, let us clean ourselves up."

"Oh, yes," Susan agreed, looking down at her dirty shirt.

Folding his coat over his arm, the Doctor started to lead Barbara and Ian to the hall, but pointed back at the console. "Now, what does the radiation read, Susan?" he asked.

Glancing down briefly, she replied, "It's reading normal, Grandfather," before joining them on their way out of the console room.

Meanwhile after they let, the needle on the radiation reader continued to rise higher and higher, triggering a silent alarm as it passed into the "danger" level.


	5. The Dead Planet

The dirtied group stood by the console as the T.A.R.D.I.S. finished landing, watching the screen and various parts of the computerized control. Covered with sweat and grime they were still trying to fully catch their breaths, hopped up with their adrenaline coursing.

"Well I suggest," the Doctor started, his breath still coming a little hard, "before we go out and explore, let us clean ourselves up." He picked up his coat from where it laid upon the console. He shook it gently, causing some dirt to fall down to the floor.

Barbara looked to Ian who, still staring at the screen of the strange trees outside, took a step away from the console. They had never seen beyond this one room of the ship and knew not where they were supposed to go. Everything had been so rushed until now.

"Yes," replied Susan, tilting her head to one side tiredly. She began to turn away from the console, only to be stopped by her grandfather.

The Doctor was folding his coat over an arm as he gestured to something near her. "Now, what does the radiation read, Susan?" he asked.

Turning back to the console, she looked down at where the little needle marked on the scale. It stood in the center of the circular graph it laid on, well away from the dangerous red section at the top of one end. "It's reading normal, Grandfather," she answered. She then began stepping away from the computer and together they all left the main room.

Behind them, the needle reading the outside radiation levels began to move again. It moved higher and higher on the scale. After reaching the top and into the reddened section a silent alarm began to flash indicating dangerous levels. Out of the room, no one saw the flashing before it ended.

* * *

Outside of the ship amongst the near colorless trees, everything laid perfectly still. Not a single darkened gray leaf blew from the wind that had been blowing along the stark white trunks. No bushes jostled nor any small creatures or insects ran about the floor. Nothing disturbed the eerie silence that hung heavy upon the land. There seemed to be nothing about.

Carefully Barbara stepped through an opening of the trees. Changed from the simple skirt suit she had been wearing from before their last adventure, she wore a large blouse and a knee length skirt. This would provide some better mobility for anything that may pop up in this outing she hoped. Her shoes, too, had been changed. This time she wore flats, her feet still aching from running about in the low heels she had worn with the cave men. Curiously she glanced about; keenly paying attention for anything that could be alarming.

"There's been a forest fire," she spoke to the Doctor and Susan who followed closely behind. The Doctor wore a clean version of the same suit he wore on their last adventure, but Susan had changed into a light button up sweater to match her dark pants. "Everything's sort of white and ashen."

Ian walked past the group, watching the ground where he stepped. "Funny mist," he commented. Barbara shifted over so he wouldn't walk into her with a fist on her hip. She then started to look about the ground wondering what he was looking for.

"The heat must have been indescribable," the Doctor observed. He held a new hat in his hands as he also glanced about, one more suited for sun than the last. All of the near-bare plants trunks and branches had all been equally bleached. "Look at this soil here," he told everyone, bending down to pick up a handful. Beside him Barbara leaned over to have a good look at what he picked up. "Look at it. It's all turned to sand and ashes." Straightening up, Barbara and Susan each took some of the sample to see for themselves. A few steps away Ian continued looking about. "Extraordinary," the Doctor continued, rolling the soil around his palm, "how can shrubs or trees grow in soil like that, hmm?" He let the sample fall from his palm into a small container he held with his other hand.

"Something else that's strange," Ian said, still glancing about everywhere. His eyes were narrowed as he was looking in the distance. "There's quite a breeze blowing," he continued. Barbara dusted off her hands from the soil and stepped up beside him. He, too, had changed when they all cleaned up. Gone was his five o'clock shadow and instead of his proper suit he wore a buttoned sweater on top of his shirt and tie. She glanced about wondering what he was looking for.

"Well?" asked Susan, also shifting over.

"Well, look at the branches and things," he said, pointing to the plants about them. The plants were strange when compared to those of earth. The trees, despite their color were similar enough, but the others were most curious. Strange stalks stood from the ground standing gray. White, perfect rectangles stood out from the stalks perfectly straight. In some places the stalks had bent in their growth, but the strange rectangle leaves were perfectly straight. There were also strange bushes that seemed to be an odd combination of growing hay and shrubbery.

Watching the plants Susan wouldn't quite pinpoint what Ian was getting at. "They don't seem to be moving," she told him. Not all planets had soft plants, she had thought to herself.

"They're not," Barbara confirmed, "they're absolutely still." She glanced first one way, then another, amazed at the fact everything was still. Feeling the wind blow again, she saw it ruffle everyone's hair, but not a single bit of plant moved. Stepping away from the group she continued to watch the plants, watching for the slightest change. Mindful, the Doctor followed her also keeping an eye about them.

Ian reached out to the nearest branch hanging beside him. Taking a hold of a small piece of it, he started when the brittle bark easily snapped between his fingers. Dust fell from the pieces, and he carefully used both hands to hold the small piece. "Huh," he let out. "Like stone, look," he said, moving after the group only a few steps away. "Very brittle stone," he showed the Doctor who was closest. "It crumbles when you touch it. Look." Still amazed at it, he broke it into smaller pieces and handed one to everyone. They each considered their piece carefully.

"It's petrified," the Doctor observed. "How fascinating, a petrified jungle." He glanced up at the others. Barbara and Ian were glancing up around them again while Susan was still checking out her piece of the wood. "Hmm," he continued, "Extraordinary." Tossing the piece a couple of times up in his hand, he tested the weight of it. "Yes," he mused, "I must really investigate that." He glanced up at Barbara almost apologetically before saying, "Couldn't have been heat then." Thinking deeply his eyes roamed back and forth, "and age would merely decay," he considered.

"What could have caused it, Grandfather?" Susan asked, breaking down the little piece of petrified bark. Letting the pieces fall from her hand, she blew the dust off of her palm before looking up to the Doctor.

"I don't know, I don't know," he replied, a little frustrated. Barbara glanced back to him at his tone. "But I intend to find out," he continued, raising a hand in conviction. Moving at a steady pace he then set off into the trees determinedly.

Susan smiled amused. Falling in step behind him, she crouched down some, wary of hanging branches. "I'm coming, too," she said excitedly. Together they disappeared from the small clearing and into the trees.

Now the only two left in the clearing, Barbara turned nervously to Ian. "Ian, do you have an idea where are we?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied, still looking around them.

Her face fell. "Well, why doesn't he take us back?" she asked him.

Ian turned to look at her. "I'm not sure that he can," he admitted.

Barbara's eyes widened. "What, ever?" she gasped. She hadn't considered the possibility before. Not for a moment had she thought she couldn't ever go home. It had seemed just as impossible as this whole ordeal. Then again, she would have never dreamed of travelling time and space before it had happened to her. But to do this again and again… Seeing Ian watching her reaction, Barbara tried to steel her nerves. Stepping around him she moved to where he couldn't see her face as she continued to worry.

"I hate it as much as you," he told her, stepping to stand beside her again. "I'm just as afraid. But what can we do?" he asked her, glancing in the direction the Doctor and Susan wandered off to.

"Well, we could at least stay near the ship," she muttered, thinking back to their last adventure. Perhaps if they just stayed near the ship they could avoid any trouble at all.

Ian chuckled. "The ship's no good without him," he reminded her. Thinking about it, Ian wasn't very sure even Susan could pilot the thing without her grandfather, that old man. He did seem quite old. He could barely keep up with the group running in their last debacle. They would have been stranded without him. Ian frowned. "We better keep an eye on him," he told Barbara, "he seems to have a knack of getting himself into trouble."

"You think there's any danger?" Barbara asked, concerned.

"Not necessarily," he replied.

"But don't be too complacent?" she finished, smiling up at him. She, too, glanced to where Susan and the Doctor wandered off to. "You're showing much more concern about his welfare than he shows for ours," she commented.

"Believe me," Ian cut in, "my motives are not as noble as they sound. Until we're sure where we are, the Doctor's our only lifeline."

"No, you're right, I suppose. I just wish…"

Ian turned back to face Barbara. "We'll be all right," he assured her.

"Yes," she agreed with a weak smile. She moved to follow after the other two. "Well, I suppose we had better make sure he doesn't fall down and break a hip," she chuckled. Pausing to look back at Ian she asked him with a laugh, "Don't you ever think he deserves something to happen to him?" With a smile, he agreed, and together they set out.

* * *

Up ahead, the Doctor and Susan continued exploring the area. While he watched ahead and above them, Susan watched lower towards the ground. Some of the trunks of the trees had strange spirals of bark wrapping around them, too precisely to be vines of some sort. Instead they seemed to be more of decorative columns than trees, up until branches started to poke out of the trunks above them. Stopping to pause, he rested his hand on one of the column-like trunks of the nearest tree.

"Oh, Grandfather, look!" Susan cried out excitedly crouching down to her knees. "It's a flower. A perfect flower," she gushed. It was a small thing, its head about the size of her hand, and stood no higher than a foot. The closest Earth flower to compare it to would be the tulip, only it was a pale pink color with darker pink dots and seemed to be more in the shape of an upside-down bell. "Well, it's even kept some of its color," Susan continued, looking up at her Grandfather.

"Yes," he replied, not looking down at it. "Very pretty, very pretty," he told her as he examined the next large trunk of a tree. "Hmm." This next tree wasn't column like, and instead was quite vast and misshapen. He considered it carefully, cataloging its details away in his mind for later consideration.

Susan could hear the Ian and Barbara approaching and turned to call back to them, "Hey, look! Look what I've found!" When they were closer, she beamed up at them, proud to show off what she had discovered on her own.

Stepping up, Ian knelt down to look with her. "Oh, that's beautiful," he commented, taking a closer look. Barbara glanced down at it and smiled encouragingly before continuing on a little bit, heading in another direction from the Doctor. Ian considered the plant intently, noting how similar it stood to the plants he was used to back in London. It was quite pretty indeed.

"I'm going to try and pick it and keep it all in one piece," Susan told him excitedly. She reached out towards the stem.

Ian also reached out with her. "Oh, be careful," he told her. "It'll be very fragile," he warned. Gently he helped pluck the flower from the ground and held it carefully in his hands.

* * *

Meanwhile Barbara had turned round one of the tree trunks a little ways away and froze with a gasp. Her eyes widened in fear, watching terrified what was before her.

* * *

Standing back up Ian carefully cradled the flower between his hands as Susan watched intently. He turned it in his hands viewing it from each side and admired it. "There we are," he told Susan, eyes not leaving the blossom. She leaned closer to stare at the flower.

"Beautiful," she told him with a bright smile. "When I get it back to the ship…"

Her words were cut off by a sharp cry. "Ian!" Barbara called out from a distance. Susan continued speaking excitedly, but Ian sharply looked up towards the sound. "Ian!" Barbara called again. Shoving the blossom into Susan's hands, Ian started off towards Barbara quickly. The blossom had broken and crumbled from the rough treatment, and Susan stared down at it helplessly.

"Coming!" called Ian as he hurried.

* * *

Reaching where Barbara stood frozen, he took hold of her arms. "What is it?" he asked, looking her over for any injuries. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Shakily she raised an arm and pointed to something in front of them. Immediately his head snapped over to see what it was. Just between two tree trunks stood some sort of lizard creature atop a boulder. The creature seemed the size of a medium dog that had been mixed with an alligator. Dark scales covered its entirety. Spikes rose along the ridge of its back continuing down the center of its snout. Two eyes protruded out of stalks rising from the back of its alligator like head. It stood there, unmoving, but in an intimidating pose.

Slowly, Ian took a step forward. Barbara grasped at the neck of her blouse, hugging herself as she stood watching the creature. Behind them Susan and her grandfather had joined them. Seeing Ian take another step closer, Barbara reached out and pulled at his arm, "No!" she warned. Gently tugging out of her hold, Ian continued towards the beast. Behind them the Doctor also moved in a wider arc to stay astride the creature just out of its reach should he need to act. Once within an arm's reach, Ian swung his hand quickly before the thing's eyes. Nothing happened.

Ian let out a breath and chuckled. "Oh, It's all right," he told everyone. He rested a hand against the nearest trunk and moved closer to inspect the thing curiously. It still didn't move. Not so much as blink its eyes. "Like everything else in this place," Ian continued, gently knocking on its snout. The knocking sounded hollow. "Solid stone," he concluded.

Cautiously taking a few steps, Barbara hovered behind Ian, watching it. "It's hideous," she said, scrutinizing its face. She crouched down to see it face to face and tried to think of what it could possibly be to live in this jungle. Behind her Susan also stepped forward, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. The broken flower lay forgotten behind her.

"Yes, it is," Ian agreed. "It's also significant. Nothing on Earth could look like this," he said, gazing off into the distance. Susan came closer and peered around the two at the creature. His words made her look up at Ian sharply. How he could still think only of Earth, she wondered.

"It looks like some sculptor's nightmare," Barbara commented, no longer afraid.

The Doctor moved to stand behind the creature and hovered above it before feeling its back. "Yes, it's certainly alien to anything on your planet," he agreed. "But you're wrong about one thing, Chesterfield. This isn't like everything else," he continued, feeling along the frozen creatures scales. "The animal is solidified, certainly, but it's not crumbly stone. It's metal. Yes, it always was," he concluded.

"Even when it was alive?" marveled Ian. "But that's impossible," he argued.

"Why?" asked the Doctor. "Can't you imagine an animal unless it's flesh, blood, and bone? Hmm? No, I tell you this is an entirely different formation." After examining the creature the Doctor stood back up from being bent over atop it. "I should say originally it was some pliable metal," he continued. Pondering how it lived, he took of his glasses and continued, "held together by a magnetic field, or an inner magnetic field rather, and it may have had the ability to attract its victims towards it, if they were metal, too."

Barbara glanced up to the Doctor. "We're not on Earth, then?" she asked quietly.

"No, certainly not," he replied.

Ian looked over to Barbara seeing her wistful expression. She returned his look and smiled sadly. "Are you sure?" he asked, turning back to the Doctor.

"Oh, certain," the Doctor replied. Stepping back around the creature, leaning on its back in support, the Doctor stood before the rest of the group. "And you needn't look at me like that, young man," he continued. "We started this journey far too hurriedly to make any calculations. You know that as well as I do." Shifting the hat to be held between both of his hands he started off after Susan who began wandering again. "However," he continued, "we are alive."

"Hey, Grandfather, look," Susan called out just a few steps away. "The jungle ends over there," she said, gesturing off to one side with a nod of her head. Stepping up to her, the Doctor rested a hand on her shoulder. Scrunching up his face he focused on the distance, considering the break in the jungle.

Barbara took a couple of steps in their direction but stopped to sit on the stump of a former tree instead. She watched the ground with her steps and once sitting hadn't lifted her head.

"Try not to be too upset," Ian told her, stepping closer.

"I counted so much on just going back to things I recognize and trust," she admitted. "But here there's nothing to rely no, nothing," she continued, looking about them.

"Well," he interrupted her, "there's me." They shared a chuckle and she glanced back to her hands resting on her lap. "Barbara…" he began. He set his heel on the back of the trunk beside her and rested an elbow upon his knee, clasping his hands. "All I ask you to do is believe, really believe, we'll go back. We will, you know," he promised her.

She raised her eyes to meet his. "I wish I was more like you," she told him. "I'm afraid I'm a very unwilling adventurer.

"Well, I'm not exactly reveling in it myself," he countered.

"Grandfather's talking about fixing our position by the stars," Susan said, rushing over to where the two rested. She smiled brightly, glad to be the bearer of good news, and bounced a little where she stood. Ian brought his foot back down and stood up straight.

"Good," he told her. Reaching out, he gave her shoulder a small squeeze and smiled. "Where is he?" he asked.

"Just over there," Susan replied, beaming. She nodded with her head and Ian was off.

"Susan," Barbara addressed her.

"Hmm?" she asked, glancing about them. Susan kept her gaze low, seeming to be searching for another flower. All around the clearing she gazed, half paying attention.

"Don't you have anything in the ship that records the journeys?" she asked, curious.

"Oh, yes," Susan replied, turning back to face Barbara. "There's a meter fixed to a great big bank of computers," she told her. The girl stood straight and clasped her hands behind her back proudly. "If you feed it with the right information, it can take over the controls of the ship and deliver you to any place you want to go," she continued, stretching her hands out behind her.

Barbara watched the girl. "Then why don't we know where we are?" she asked.

Susan turned once again to face Barbara. Everything around them all seemed so fascinating. It was hard to just stand still in one place. "Well, it's a question of the right information, you see," she told her. "I don't say that Grandfather doesn't know how to work the ship, but he's so forgetful, and then he will go off and… Well, he likes to work on his own." She shrugged and went back to looking all around her.

"So I've noticed," Barbara laughed.

"Anyway, he's only got to do some computations back in the ship and we can move on," Susan said, kicking some of the ashen dirt with her toes. She came back to stand next to Barbara once again.

"Well it can't be too soon for me," Barbara told her.

The Doctor walked back to the two of them and looked about them momentarily. "Well, are we ready?" he asked the girls. He had his had tucked under one of his arms; with all the trees above them he had not need of it yet. Coming to a stop between the two of them he gave them each a smile.

"Oh, Doctor, have you worked out yet how all this happened" Barbara asked, returning his smile.

"No, not really, not really," he admitted, tapping his thumb atop the brim of his hat. Once again he surveyed the trees standing around them. "Whatever it was destroyed everything that was living," he observed. He shook his head sadly. "But the planet is dead, totally dead," he continued, furrowing his brows.

From the distance they could hear Ian's voice call out to them. "Barbara! Doctor! Over here!" they could hear him say. Barbara rose up from her seat quickly and with a glance to the Doctor they set out towards the voice. Ian didn't sound particularly panicked or frightened so they did not run, but their pace wasn't leisurely either.

* * *

Standing next to a rocky cliff face, Ian was glancing down beyond the edge with interest. The wind seemed to be stronger out here as it ruffled his hair with more vigor, but he paid no mind. He smiled down below. Across a mountainous plane lied a large city down below. Beyond it another mountain range lay, but there was no mistaking the large metropolis.

"What is it, Chesterton?" the Doctor asked, coming to join him by the edge after Barbara and Susan. Barbara, the first one out stepped up next to Ian and took in the view. "We really must get back to…" the words died as the Doctor looked out over the others at what lay before them. Susan gasped, peering around Barbara's side. "Most fascinating," the Doctor continued, resting a hand on Susan's shoulder.

"A city," marveled Barbara. "A large city!" she exclaimed, grasping at Ian's elbow. He rested a hand on top of hers as they both gazed down. Hearing some shuffling behind them, Ian glanced back to see the Doctor put on some strange glasses before returning his gaze to the city below them.

"Well, Doctor, can you see anything?" he asked. "Any sign of life?"

Through the glasses the Doctor could see in more detail the city below. There were many buildings populating the dense city. A number of them were round, some having pointy bits on their tops, others without. They played on different width on their layers going in and out as they did. And yet, nothing about the city was moving. "No, no, no. No sign of life," he told the others, still glancing around. "No, just the buildings," he said. "Magnificent buildings, I.."

"Oh, let me have a look," Susan begged, interrupting him. Taking off the glasses they were only just away from his face when Susan snatched them up to bring them to hers. She peered around at the buildings, bursting with excitement. "It's fabulous," she gushed. "Here," she nudged Barbara, "you have a look."

Moving her hands off of Ian's arm, Barbara held the glasses up to her eyes and looked through. She stepped a little closer to the edge.

Ian shifted closer to the Doctor. "What do you think, Doctor?" he asked.

"I don't know, I don't know," he replied. Once finished with her turn, Barbara quietly handed the glasses to Ian, who gingerly accepted them and held them up for a look. "Whatever it was destroyed the vegetation here certainly hasn't damaged the city," observed the Doctor. "But there's no sign of life. No movement, no light, no…" he paused to sigh. "No, I shall know more about it when I've been down there."

Barbara turned on the Doctor. "Down there?" she asked sharply. "Oh, no. We're going back to the ship," she told him firmly.

"Now don't be ridiculous," he told her. "That city is a magnificent subject for study and I don't intend to leave here until I've thoroughly investigated it," he argued. Their argument had drawn the eyes of both Susan and Ian. Susan nervously ran a hand through her hair watching the two of them.

"You promised…" began Barbara.

"Promised," the Doctor interrupted. "This juvenile sense of honor appalls me. Promises!" he harrumphed.

"Well it's too late to talk about it now. It's starting to get dark," interrupted Ian, earning a glare from Susan who thoroughly supported her grandfather. "We'll discuss it when we get back to the ship," he concluded.

"Yes," admitted Susan with a shrug. "Whatever you decide, it's too late to get down there now," she told her grandfather.

The doctor let out an aggravated sigh. "Yes, yes, all right," he told them. "But I assure you, I'm determined to study that place," he argued again.

"You can do what you like," Ian proclaimed with a smile. He reached out and took Barbara by her shoulder. "As long as you don't endanger the rest of us," he warned, leading Barbara back towards the trees with Susan following.

"Very well then, I shall look at it myself, alone," the doctor snapped, not moving from where he looked at the city. He was determined to find out what had caused the end of the life on the planet. Seeing the city in the distance, he hoped that he could find some historical records down there which would reveal the truth. The others turned back to him. Ian stepped back to stand next to the Doctor.

"You're the only one who can operate the ship. I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Doctor," he said. The Doctor looked at him, leaning his head back a little so that he could look down the bridge of his nose at the young man. "Your glasses," Ian offered, holding them up. The Doctor took them primly and tucked them back in his pocket as Ian started back to the girls who were watching the exchange. With one last look back at the city, the Doctor sighed and moved to follow the group.

* * *

Back in the jungle once again, Ian led the group through the trees back towards the ship. "I think this is the way we came," he announced to the others. They moved at a brisk pace save for Susan. While the others moved ahead, she lingered about some of the trees, looking around her. She kept her head low, ever watchful for more flowers amongst the soil. With an excited cry, she crouched down to her knees.

Up ahead the other three hadn't noticed Susan had stopped and continued on without her. Susan carefully plucked the blossom from its stalk and gently balanced the flower between her palms. she smiled brightly at it and rocked up to her knees. Hearing something, she froze up and glanced about her. Quietly standing up, her fear deepened as her breath shortened. Turning this way and that, she tried to pinpoint where the noise was coming from without luck.

"Who's there?!" she cried out, voice shaking with terror. Her shoulders trembled as she continued turning about herself. Thinking she knew what side the sound was coming from, she started backing away from it, paying no mind where she was going. Tense, she continued backing up a few more steps. Suddenly a hand touched her back. With a startled gasp she jumped and tripped as she tried to run away, letting out a scream as she fell.

The others could hear her scream and realized she was not with them. Ian was the first to act, dashing back down the trail. Susan crashed into him not even halfway there, looking back over her shoulder. She let out another scream of fright not recognizing him at first. Looking up she began sobbing and clutched to hi sweater.

"All right, Susan," he soothed. "It's all right. You're safe now," he told her.

* * *

Within the main room of the T.A.R.D.I.S. Barbara was browsing over the different dials and switches on the main console when the Doctor came in from the back. Since she was to be here for who knew how long, she thought she might as well make some sort of attempt to familiarize herself with the thing. While she didn't know what they did, she at least could see where they were located on the main piece and how they looked. Some of them did have labels underneath them, much to her relief. If she were only to learn two dials on the thing that day she would still count it a success. When the Doctor walked in she didn't look up, still studying the console. "Did Susan tell you what frightened her?" she asked.

"Yes, yes," he replied, holding on to his coat's lapels. He came to a stop just next to her at the console, eye brows furrowed in concern. "She's convinced that someone touched her," he said, staring at the console intently. Barbara turned to look at him. "…and I tried to make her see it wasn't possible, but I'm afraid she wouldn't listen to me," he continued. He looked up to Barbara, "I wonder, would you have a talk with her?" he asked.

"Yes, of course I will," she promised with a smile.

"Yes. You know, sometimes I find the gulf between Susan's age and mine makes difficult understanding between us," he admitted. He rarely debited himself with deficiencies, and found this an awkward thing to confess.

"I'll see what I can do," she interrupted his awkward admission.

He looked up and smiled at her again. "Oh, would you? Thank you, thank you very much. I'd be grateful. He turned to watch her step out of the room into the back hallway he had just emerged from moments ago.

* * *

Susan sat tiredly at a desk, head supported one hand propped up on the table surface and drawing with the other. She didn't hear Barbara come into the room. Barbara came closer and sat on the edge of the desk, looking down at what the girl was doing. In the back corner of the room stood a statue of some sort, modern in shape, not particularly looking like any specific thing.

"Hello," Barbara greeted the girl.

The words made Susan glance up briefly. "Hello," she returned before lowering her head back onto her hand and continuing with her drawing. Her hair was quite frazzled and sticking up in places, but she didn't seem concerned about it in the least. Her concentration stayed with the paper, and she seemed to try and ignore Barbara's presence without being rude.

"What are you doing?" Barbara tried again softly.

"Just drawing," Susan answered, her voice still a bit wobbly from her earlier tears.

"Well, can I see?" asked Barbara with an imploring smile. Silently the girl sat back and dropped her arm from the table, turning away from it. It was a lovely ink sketch with good detailing.

"It's the flower I saw in the jungle," the girl sighed. She looked down defeated.

Barbara asked, "What happened out there?" She kept her voice light and conversational. Eyes still on the paper, Barbara didn't want to pressure Susan or seem to be interrogating the poor dear.

Susan shrugged. "Nothing," she denied weakly.

"Ian said you were terrified," Barbara persisted, making the girl look up at her. Susan glanced up and she met her eyes, only to then look down at the pen she held in her lap. "Well, something must have frightened you," Barbara reasoned.

"It's not that so much," Susan began. "It's-it's just that I'm… I'm fed up that no one believes me," Susan explained with a quiet sob.

"Believes what?" Barbara asked. Susan abruptly stood up and crossed her arms facing away. The girl hunched her back and kept her face down where Barbara couldn't see.

"Oh, I don't know," she cried, turning to lean against the wall beside her.

Barbara leaned closer on the table where she sat. "That there was someone out there and they touched you on the shoulder?" she offered.

"There was someone there," Susan immediately argued.

"But you didn't see who it was?" Barbara asked further, making sure to keep her voice easy.

Pushing off the wall, Susan began pacing about the floor. "No," she admitted. With her head hanging low once again, she walked around behind the table Barbara sat on glumly. Barbara picked up the drawing to look at it once more. Behind Barbara, Susan turned sharply and looked at her. Shaking some, she reached out a hand and touched Barbara's shoulder before quickly pulling away. Turning to see her, Barbara set the sketch back down. "It was like that," Susan said. "A light touch on the shoulder. I couldn't have been mistaken," she said in a long rush.

"Well, I believe you," Barbara assured her. She reached out and touched Susan's arm comfortingly.

Susan smiled gratefully at her. After a moment the smile tightened and she looked away. "But Grandfather says that it's impossible for anyone to live out there," she argued against herself. Stepping out of Barbara's comforting hold, she sniffed and tried to believe the words.

"Oh, Susan," Barbara leaned closer from the table, but the girl didn't turn around. "It isn't that he doesn't believe you. It's just that he finds it difficult to go against his scientific facts," she told her. Perhaps she hadn't known the man more than these couple of days, but she could imagine this to be true. How he could really doubt anything baffled Barbara. He had seen many other planets and times. Surely within all those places he's seen, anything could be possible.

"I know," Susan groaned, rolling her eyes in frustration.

Barbara stood up from where she sat and moved to stand next to her. "Oh, look, why don't you just try and forget it for the moment?" she asked. She put her arms around the girl's shoulders in a half hug of comfort.

"For the moment," Susan agreed with a small smile.

* * *

In one of the offshoot hallways from the console room, the Doctor was scribbling down notes while looking at various dials on the wall as Ian watched. Upon the wall sat one screen, about the size of the Doctor's head just before him, completely blank. On both sides of it laid a panel of dials and gauges reading something important. Ian was looking at the different doo-dads curiously one at a time, standing with one fist on his hip.

"What's this one for?" he asked the doctor, pointing to one of the panels above the screen. The Doctor didn't look up at what he was pointing at and kept taking notes. Ian brought his hand back and scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know how you make sense of any of this," he admitted.

"You're quite right, quite right," the doctor mumbled, not paying any attention.

"Can you find out where we are?" Ian continued, following as the Doctor took a few steps to take notes from the next series of dials. The Doctor didn't answer. Ian wasn't even sure the Doctor was listening to anything he said. "Well, Doctor?" he asked in a louder voice.

"Hmm?" the Doctor asked, looking up from his notes to Ian. "oh," he laughed, as if just then noticing Ian standing there. With a smile, he went back to his little book of notes.

"I was wondering if perhaps…" Ian started.

"My dear boy," the Doctor interrupted, turning around. "These eternal questions of yours… Do I know where we are, I suppose?" he asked, looking up at Ian. Turning back away, he folded closed his pocket notebook.

"Doctor, I don't want to argue with you," Ian started. "We're fellow travelers whether we like it or not. But for heaven's sake, try to see it from our point of view," he begged. The Doctor fidgeted impatiently. "You've uprooted us violently from our own lives," Ian argued.

The Doctor interrupted again, "You pushed your way into the ship, young man," he said, pointing a finger at Ian. Irritated, he turned back away and opened his little notebook once again, determined to continue taking notes.

"All right, I admit it, a small part of the blame is ours," Ian relented, raising his palms in surrender.

The Doctor abruptly stopped and looked up. "Oh, small?" he marveled, folding his hands before him.

"But naturally we're anxious," Ian continued undeterred. "What are we going to do? Can we live here? What do we eat?" he fired off question after question. "There are millions of questions…"

"A very good idea. I'm hungry," the Doctor interrupted yet again. He raised a hand to silence Ian. The Doctor then moved past Ian and walked off down the corridor, leaving Ian. Ian sighed in frustration before he turned and followed the muttering old man.

* * *

Susan held up a glass of liquid and carefully added a few pink drops from a small glass phial. Behind her, Barbara sat holding her head with her hand, gently rubbing at her forehead. She then started rubbing her head with both hands, not seeming to find any relief. The door could be heard opening, but neither paid attention. Barbara let out a tired breath.

"Oh, ah, what's the matter?" the Doctor asked, coming into the room. He stepped over to Barbara and took her hand, glancing her over in concern. Susan carefully examined the glass of liquid before adding some more drops from the phial. Looking up at him, Barbara ran her other hand back through her hair, gently holding the back of her head in pain.

"Oh," she replied. "I've suddenly got this terrible headache," she told him.

"Oh dear, dear," he consoled, "how irksome for you." Stepping over to Susan he examined the small phial she was emptying into the glass. "Oh, this is good stuff," he announced, "this should cure it." Behind them, Ian moved to stand beside Barbara in concern. "Now not too much, dear, not too much," the Doctor warned Susan.

"No," agreed Susan, looking up from her task. She lowered the phial. The Doctor moved past Susana towards a large machine beside her. "Oh, Grandfather. I'm sorry I was so silly just now," she told him. Ian and Barbara walked over closer to see what the old man was doing. He started pushing a few buttons on the machine and it let out some loud beeps. He patted Susan's shoulder and went back to pressing buttons. "Here," she held the glass out to Barbara, "try this."

"Thank you," Barbara replied, taking the glass. Tipping her head back, she downed the contents in one go. "Ooh, that's very nice," she told Susan. Mindful of the glass material, she carefully held the cup back to Susan. The girl smiled brightly and took the glass, turning back towards her grandfather. She set the glass on top of the machine he was fiddling with.

"Let's hope it does you some good," Ian said with a smile.

The Doctor, having finished fiddling with the machine, gingerly picked up a small packet from a door on its front. Carefully unwrapping it, he took a bite and smiled. The others watched on, Ian and Barbara curious. Susan glanced at them before looking back at her grandfather. After swallowing the bit, the Doctor noticed all the looks.

"Oh, did you want something to eat?" he asked. "What would you like?" he offered.

Barbara thought for a moment before she smiled. "I'd like some bacon and eggs," she said, glancing about her. Susan excitedly snapped her fingers with a flourish and hurried over to the machine.

"All right," agreed Ian, "bacon and eggs."

"Bacon and eggs," agreed the Doctor, letting them know it was an option. He moved to shift in front of the machine and the others followed him. Susan stepped over to stand on the other side of the machine. The Doctor gingerly picked up a small packet of paper that was laying atop the machine and started glancing through it. Barbara rested her hand on the side of the machine and rested against it, tired.

From the other side of the machine, Susan called out to them, "This is fully automatic." She beamed, explaining the machine.

"Yes, certainly, certainly," agreed the Doctor not looking up from the leaflet in his hands. "XL over 45 minus G," he read from the paper. He glanced up for a moment to Susan who moved to stand next to him, bouncing some. She reached out and started turning one of the dials, confirming the combination as she went. "W9 plus J62L6," finished the Doctor, reading from the packet. He watched over as Susan finished dialing it in. Nodding he turned to look at Ian and Barbara as Susan pushed the larger button in the center of the machine. Smiling, he put the packet back to rest on top of the machine.

"I hope mine doesn't taste like engine grease," Ian commented, making Barbara laugh.

"Now, now, don't be ridiculous," admonished the Doctor, watching the machine as it let out a whirr.

Barbara leaned to the side some to see Susan. "Shall I get plates and things from somewhere?" she offered.

"No, there's no need to," the girl explained with a smile.

The whirring noise came to an end. The Doctor bent down and opened the small door on the machine once again. The teachers watched curiously as he pulled a small tray out from the door. On top of the tray laid two smaller trays, one of which he removed and handed to Susan. "Here we are, then," he told her. He then replaced the lower tray back into the machine, holding the other tray in hand. As he straightened up Susan presented the little tray to Barbara and Ian.

"Eggs and bacon," she presented.

"Thank you," Barbara replied as Ian didn't say anything. Ian accepted the tray from Susan, and Barbara accepted the other from the Doctor. Sitting in the tray was a small packet that reminded her of cheese.

Ian picked up his packet and looked at it. "What, this?" he asked, looking at the Doctor. Beside him Barbara began opening her packet.

"Go on," Susan encouraged, "try it."

The Doctor took out the packet he had been nibbling on earlier and the three of them all unwrapped their food. Ian and Barbara smiled at one another, not sure at all what to expect. At the same time they each tried a bite of their food. Susan eagerly watched them. Biting his own food, the Doctor also watched them amused. "Well?" he asked them. They each took another bit from their food and glanced back at the Doctor.

"Hmm, not bad," admitted Ian, holding up his little cheese-like block of food. The Doctor's brows furrowed slightly. "What do you think, Barbara?" Ian asked.

"I think it's delicious," she replied, looking down at the little packet in wonder.

Ian shrugged. "My bacon's a big salty," he admitted, taking another bite.

"It shouldn't be," the Doctor piped up. "It's English," he continued tartly, causing the two teachers to burst out in laughter.

"No, seriously," Ian said with a broad smile. "Doctor, this is remarkable," he admitted, coming to stand beside the Doctor. "I mean, one bite and I taste bacon, another and I taste the egg. How do you do it?" he marveled, holding up the food.

The Doctor took a bite of his own food and shrugged. "Food has component parts, my dear boy," he told Ian. "Flavors are rather like primary colors, you know. You blend two to achieve a third, a fourth, and etc. etc," he said trailing off and taking another bite.

"Well, I think it's wonderful," Ian said, taking another bite.

Susan glanced up to Barbara curiously. "How's your headache now?" she asked, placing the empty tray to sit upon the top of the machine. She wiped the back of her hand against her forehead, pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Oh, it's much better," Barbara assured her. "I don't usually get them at all."

"Oh, Susan, would you like something to eat?" the Doctor asked. He flipped the machine back on and picked up the piece of paper ready to dial anything in. He smiled gently at her.

Susan shook her head. "I was hungry, but I've lost my appetite," she told him. From the other side of the machine Ian finished off his food and was looking curiously at the different buttons and dials on the machine's face. Barbara glanced at Susan in concern.

"Oh, child. That's unusual," the Doctor said, moving to stand beside Susan. "I do hope your affects outside the ship hasn't affected you too much?" he asked her worriedly.

"No, I think I'll go to bed now, anyway," she denied with a frown. Looking down she began to move away. Barbara watched with a hand on her hip carefully. Behind them Ian curiously tapped on a few of the dials, trying to figure out how the machine worked. Susan brought her hands up and started worrying them. A few steps away she paused and looked back up to Barbara. "Do you want to know where you can sleep?" she offered.

Barbara moved to walk with the girl. "Oh, yes," she agreed.

A loud, sharp tapping interrupted everyone's movements, startling them all. The Doctor shushed everyone so they could better hear. Ian moved over next to Barbara and rested his hand on her shoulder. "What's that?" he asked the Doctor. The tapping continued.

"The scanner," announced the Doctor. Moving quickly he dashed off to the console room. If they could make it there quickly perhaps they could see what was tapping on the ship. Ian and Barbara followed just behind him.

Susan froze up and her eyes became distant. "There was somebody there," she growled, before she dashed after the group.

* * *

The group stood tensely around the main console. The tapping had stopped. The Doctor flipped on one of the switches turning on the scanner. Eagerly they all glanced to the screen, which projected the immediate outside view of the ship. On the screen they could see the trees and plants, but nothing else. There was no movement to suggest anything had been there at all. Using one of the dials they switched the view around looking everywhere around the ship, only to find the same.

"Nothing," remarked Ian, "not a thing." He intently watched the screen watching for any movement, but there was none. Just as before, none of the leaves stirred from their branches.

"Something must have made that noise," argued Susan quickly. Stepping away from the console, the Doctor was deep in thought. He brought a hand up to his mouth as he considered everything.

"I've had enough," Barbara said, stepping away. She moved to stand next to the Doctor. "Please," she begged him, "can't we get out of here?"

The Doctor paused but didn't turn to face her. "Ah, but that city," he argued. "I must see that city," he insisted.

"But why?" Barbara interrupted. Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. Behind them Ian watched on as Susan continued staring at the scanner.

"I will not be questioned," the doctor said, turning to face her. He brought his hand down from his face. "Uninvited passengers," he complained as Barbara stepped back to stand on the other side of the console. "I didn't invite them to the ship," he continued to himself. He turned to call over his shoulder to them, "I shall do what I want to do."

Ian approached the Doctor. "Why endanger the rest of us by staying here?" he asked.

"Grandfather, please," Susan spoke up. She was still frightened by everything. The hand out in the forest. The tapping on the ship. Not seeing anything on the scanner. She took a hold of his elbow and started to tear up. "Please," she begged.

Relenting with a smile, the Doctor bowed his head. He stepped out of Susan's hold and walked over to the front of the console. There he flipped a switch making the main part of its top light up. A familiar sound filled the room and he started flipping a few more switches and pressing buttons silently. Watching the group smile as they looked at the console, he then bent down below the main desk. On the low side of the machine, he opened a small door and reached inside. With a short tug, he pulled something out, examined it and put it back inside the door. Standing up, the others walked over to his side of the console.

"Stone trees are all very well," admitted Barbara, "but the next forest I walk through, I want them all to be made of wood." She rested her hands on the edge of the console and relaxed.

The quiet was interrupted with a strange rumbling from the console. The ship shook, startling the group. Reaching over to press some buttons, the Doctor hunched over the controls.

"What's the matter?" cried Susan.

His face grim, the Doctor watched the controls. "I don't know," he said. "The power take-up was rising normally and…" he trailed off.

"What's wrong?" asked Ian.

The Doctor waved the question off. "Oh, don't distract me, please," he said. He continued watching the different dials and screens on the computer. Behind him everyone hovered, watching but not sure what they could do.

Her head popping up, Susan had an idea. "Shall I trace it on the fault locator, Grandfather?" she asked from across the console.

"Yes," he answered. "I think you'd better, child," he said, not looking up from the console.

Quickly Susan dashed off to the off shoot hallway with the screen and numerous panels of buttons and dials. Skidding to a stop beside one of the panels she glanced at a screen with lines going down. Along the lines there were ups and downs, similar to those of a polygraph machine. "K-7," she called out to her grandfather.

"K-7?" he asked. "Yes, of course," he commented, moving around. "The fluid link. Yes, yes, yes," he chided himself. Crouching back down he pulled open the little door he manipulated earlier. Behind him Susan ran back into the room watching closely. Barbara and Ian both bent over to see what the Doctor was doing. "Yes," the Doctor said, digging around in the panel. "Yes, there we are, you see," he pulled out the little knob he tugged out earlier and held it up to everyone as he stood back up. "The end of it's unscrewed itself and the fluid has run out," he explained to them.

"Well, have you got a spare?" Ian asked desperately, looking at the Doctor.

"Oh, no, no need for that," he answered, examining the bit closely. "This is easily repaired," he assured them. "All we have to do is refill it," he said. Everyone let out a breath of relief.

"Ah, what liquid do you need?" Ian asked, relieved beyond measure.

"Mercury," the Doctor quipped.

Smiling Ian laughed. "Ah, Mercury. Can I get some for you?" he offered.

The Doctor shook his head lightheartedly. "No, I'm afraid you can't. We haven't any at all," he replied.

Ian's face fell immediately. "What?" he asked. "Don't you carry a supply?" he demanded, incredulously.

"No," the Doctor answered, "it hasn't been necessary." He continued, "this hasn't happened before."

"But you must have some somewhere, surely," Ian argued.

Thinking quickly the Doctor's eyes flitted side to side for a moment. "Oh, no, no," he said. "We shall have to get some from outside," he said almost innocently.

"But where?" Barbara argued. "There isn't anything outside because…" she trailed off abruptly. Looking at the Doctor with some suspicion she kept quiet.

"Have you no barometers we could take some from?" Ian persisted.

"Of course not, young man," the Doctor replied. "Mercury in barometers… I keep forgetting that your civilization should use something like mercury in its barometers and thermometers." he continued. "Mercury's far too useful to waste on mere temperature gauges," he said.

Ian stepped closer to the Doctor. "Yes," he said. "There's the city," he deadpanned grimly.

Eyes bouncing between everyone the Doctor lit up artificially as if he hadn't thought of it before. "Of course, of course," he said, carefully watching everyone. "We're bound to get some mercury there. Yes, we're bound to," he continued with a chuckle. "Well, I mean, what else can we do, hmm?" he asked. Seeming a little nervous he watched Ian carefully.

"It seems we have no alternative," Ian agreed reluctantly, "we have to go to the city." He then moved over to stand with Barbara and Susan once again.

Turning away from them, the Doctor hid a smile. "At first light, then?" he asked. He let out a chuckle and held up the little knob in his hands smiling broadly at it.

* * *

The group watched the scanner screen carefully. Just as it were the other day the trees all stood as they had. Nothing seemed to move out there. There was no movement as far as the scanners could see.

"Well, it's light enough and there doesn't seem to be anything out there," Ian said, turning away from the scanner. "We might as well get started," he told the group, stepping beside the Doctor. The girls behind them continued to watch the screen. "And, Doctor," he addressed the old man. "Remember, we're going to this city to find mercury and once we've found it, we're coming straight back here. Is that clear?" he asked. The girls turned to watch the exchange with stony faces.

"Oh, quite so, quite so," the Doctor agreed. He gave the little knob a little toss in his hand before he began towards the door.

* * *

Outside the ship, they all kept close together. "Well, shall I lead?" offered Ian. Everything around them looked exactly the same. The trees stood as they had on the scanner and not a sound could be hear d around them. Susan was the last one out of the ship, quite reluctant to leave and explore again after the day before. "Look!" Ian exclaimed, finding something on the ground by the ship.

"Don't touch it, it might go off," warned Barbara. Ian knelt down to examine it. "Be careful," she warned him. The object was a small, oval tin canister of some sort. Ian leaned over to see it from all sides. Barbara shifted closer to Susan keeping her from getting too close should anything happen

"What is it, Chesterton?" the Doctor asked, bending over behind him to take a look.

Ian continued considering it. "I don't know," he admitted. Getting up from his crouching position, Ian held out an arm to the ladies. "Stand back," he warned, "all of you." He picked up a nearby branch and crouched back down a little ways from the canister. He held up his other hand to shield his face as he pushed the stick towards the object. The group shifted slightly farther away towards the ship. Barbara kept a hold of Susan and the Doctor moved to stand before them. Carefully, the stick came in contact with the object. Nothing happened. Prodding if further, Ian kept his defenses up and he nudged it and then tapped the top of it. "I think it's all right," he finally said. "A metal box," he concluded. Stand back up he tossed aside the stick and picked up the object. The others shifted over to examine it as he popped open the lid. "It's a box of glass phials, look," he showed them. He plucked one out and held it up for inspection.

"Hmm, let me see," the Doctor asked, taking it to see it more clearly.

Susan's eyes darkened. "Then there was somebody here last night," she said. "They must've dropped them. I knew I was right," she concluded.

"Yes," Ian admitted. "Sorry, Susan," he apologized for not believing her.

The Doctor handed the phial back to Ian. "Yes," he told the group. "I'd like to run a few tests on those. Susan, would you take these into the ship, please?" he asked. Ian handed the canister to Susan who nodded and she took off to the ship once again. "Oh, and by the way," he called out to the girl. "Did you remember the food supplies?" he asked.

"Yes," she called out from inside the ship. "A day's supplies for four. That's enough, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes, ample, ample," he replied, grasping his lapels again as he looked ahead of them.

Ian looked to him curiously. "I trust we won't be more than a couple of hours?" he asked. Susan then emerged from the ship and closed the door behind her. Ian turned to check on her. "You ready, Susan?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, making sure the door was locked.

Turning away from the ship, Ian started off to the trees. "All right, then. Off we go," he said, leading the way. The group followed him, glancing about as they went.

* * *

Within the city, they approached a large building. Along its outer walls it had numerous doors, each blocked off with a strange diagonal half-wall on each side. Beside each door was mounted a small circular object. The Doctor had his arm around Susan and they appeared to be slightly winded. Barbara brought up the rear, glancing about as she ran a hand through her head, holding on to the back of her skull for a moment. Ian paused at the corner of the building and looked all around them. There were no steps anywhere, only ramps.

With a sigh of relief the doctor turned into a small alcove of the building with Susan. "Do you mind if I sit down for a minute?" he asked the others. "I feel a bit exhausted," he admitted. Susan helped him to sit and rest against the building while Ian and Barbara stood looking out around them. Barbara rested a hand against the wall to lean on, her other hand resting on her hip.

"You all right?" Ian called out to the Doctor, watching him sit.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor assured him. "I'm just a bit tired," he said from where he sat. "It's been a long journey and my legs are rather weak," he continued.

Barbara moved over and took his hand comfortingly. "Why don't you rest here?" she offered. "Ian and I will look around and see if we…" she began.

"No, no, no. I want to look around too," he interrupted. "I shall be all right, thank you," he argued.

Ian brought a hand up to his forehead. "I must say, I don't feel too good myself," he said, turning back to the group. Along one of the walls, Barbara examined one of the doorways, feeling around its seams. It had a picture of a large circle in its center, only there was a triangle cut from its bottom. "Look," Ian continued, moving to stand closer to them, "why don't we get this over with quickly?" he offered. "Look for instruments, gauges, anything like that," he said, standing beside where the Doctor sat. He stood just before a door with a large circle on it. "Ideally, what we want is a laboratory," he told the group.

While feeling around the frame of the door, Barbara's hand waved before the small circle mounted beside it. The door opened automatically, to her surprise. "Ian," she called out, "look!" She glanced over her shoulder and pointed at the open doorway. Quickly walking over, Ian rested a hand on her shoulder and peered in carefully.

"Why don't we separate and go different ways, then meet back here in, say, ten minutes, all right?" he suggested. Turning his head, he glanced at all the doors around them in the alcove. He and Barbara each glanced down at their watches.

"Fine," she agreed. "I'll go this way," she gestured towards the open door beside her. He nodded and she disappeared into the corridor.

Ian turned to look at the next door. He began feeling about the seams around it. Beside him the Doctor shifted his stance. "Lend me your arm, will you Susan?" he asked. Gingerly she helped her grandfather to his feet and they wandered over to the next door. Ian continued waving his hands around the door before finding the small circular bit just next to it. Looking at it curiously, he tried waving his hand before it. With a mechanical sound, the door opened.

* * *

The corridors were long and misshapen. Instead of straight walls and a straight ceiling, it was littered with archways every few feet where the outside wall angled in and curved uneven above. Barbara had to duck her head to make her way through under the arches. The walls all seemed to be made of some sort of metal, and were slightly reflective. Cautiously she made her way down the hall, looking out for anything that might lead anywhere. Behind her a strange looking camera swiveled from where it was mounted on the wall to follow her movements.

* * *

Susan and her grandfather stood before the next doorway. "Let's try this one," Susan suggested. There was a circle adorning this one as well, the bottom left corner cut out like a pie. Immediately noticing the circular module beside the door, Susan waved her hand before it and the door opened. Together with her grandfather just behind her, she stepped in. "Huh, there's no light," she commented.

* * *

Barbara continued down the corridor, turning around to make sure she knew where she had come from. After stepping through one of the archways a doorways sealed off the corridor a few arches back. Turning a corner, she continued and glanced about. Behind her, the last archway sealed off silently, leaving no evidence a doorway was ever there. She found another corner and followed the hallway down further, only to find herself at a dead end. Feeling the wall before her for any doors, she turned to the side, feeling the next wall as well. Finally she felt the last wall before turning to exit out the way she came. Hurrying back through the corridor, she glanced down at her watch.

Coming to find the corridor sealed, she froze. Approaching the closed archway, she started waving her hands about its edge, hoping to open it back up. When it did nothing, she started knocking on the door. She had tried knocking it loose. Knowing it was the way she came, she glanced about her before darting down the next open archway.

* * *

Ian emerged from his doorway. "Ah, there you are," he greeted the Doctor and Susan. "Any luck?" he asked as the door closed behind him.

"No," sighed Susan, helping support her grandfather as they approached. "You?" she asked.

Ian sighed. "No," he admitted. "No luck," he shook his head. Bringing his wrist up, he looked at the time and frowned. "Barbara should be here by now," he noted. Behind him the Doctor leaned against the wall to rest and Susan wiped at her forehead with her sleeve. "Barbara!" Ian called out. He glanced around. "Barbara!" he tried again. Hearing no response he looked back down to his watch. "Well give her a couple of minutes more and then if she's not back, we'll have to go and look for her," he decided. Stepping back next to the others he glanced at his doorway.

* * *

Barbara darted through the hallway, breathless before hitting another dead end. Taking a moment she rested against the wall before turning to glance out the hallway behind her. She walked back to the room just before the dead end and used the wall as support. From the corner of her eye she saw movement and gasped as she saw the archway sealing off. She dashed towards it, but was too late and she was trapped. She banged on the door and let out a quiet sob. Feeling around all the walls, she tried to run towards the other open end which led to the dead end, only to find it sealed off as well. She banged on that door as well before the room shook and began to move. From outside the room in the dead-end, it could be seen that the room moved down into the ground like an elevator.

* * *

Outside the building Ian glanced at his watch again. "We've waited long enough for her," he announced. "We must go and find her," he said. Beside him the Doctor nodded tiredly. Ian approached the doorway and waved his arms at it. It opened and he darted inside. The others followed.

* * *

Still trapped in the room, Barbara could feel the movement had stopped. She kept her back to one of the walls when the archway beside her opened up. Glancing about she peered out before making her way through. Slowly she crept through, trying to keep her breathing quiet, using the wall beside her for support. Through the next archway it opened up to another hallway. Glancing down it, she gasped and stumbled back against the wall. Some sort of mechanic creature was approaching with a strange plunger coming straight at her. As the arches on either side of her sealed off, she threw back her head and screamed.


	6. The Survivors

Barbara nervously glanced about the hallways she advanced. Slowly she crept through, trying to keep her quickened breaths quiet, using the wall beside her for support. Through the next archway the passage opened up to another hallway. Glancing down it, she gasped and stumbled back against the wall behind her. Some sort of mechanic creature was approaching with a strange plunger coming straight at her. As the arches on either side of her sealed off, she threw back her head and screamed.

* * *

Outside Ian waved his left hand before the small circle next to the strange doorway. Doctor leaned heavily on Susan behind him, exhausted. It wasn't particularly warm on this planet, but a light sheen of sweat glistened on everyone's skin. It had seemed to take more and more effort to do things and they were tiring much more quickly than they had before and yet no one seemed to pay it any notice. The doorway opened up before the group.

First to step inside, Ian glanced about as he came in, checking each hallway before Susan and her Grandfather ambled in behind him. "Barbara?" he called out into the building. The hallways here seemed only slightly different than the others. Here the archways had round circular passage ways as opposed to the arched triangular ones Barbara was last seen rushing through. More defined doorways sprouted out from the hallway as well. Each doorway had a circular opening mechanism instead of endless tunnels sealing off. "Barbara?" he called out down one of the hallways, before moving towards another. Ian stooped some to duck under an archway and looked down the long corridor. "Barbara," he called, more insistently this time.

Behind him, Susan led her Grandfather towards the line of doors. He shifted out of her hold and glanced about when a door suddenly slid open next to her. Startled, they jumped at the sudden movement and quickly glanced in. "Miss Wright?" Susan softly called out into the darkness. Her voice shook a little from her nerves. Not hearing a reply, Susan glanced up to the Doctor in concern. He returned the look and then turned and squinted his eyes, looking through the doorway without stepping towards the darkness.

Ian waved his hand at one of the doorways down one of the offshoot corridors impatiently. Sliding open it revealed the same darkness the Doctor and Susan met with. Without hesitation he stepped one foot inside and glanced around him trying to see anything. "Barbara?" he called out to the room. There was no answer. Ian stepped back to fully stand in the hallway and made for the next door.

"Hey, there's a corridor over here," Susan called out from where she and the Doctor were standing. She and her Grandfather stood before the familiar slanted passageways in curiosity. They patiently waited for Ian to jog over to them, where he glanced down the way.

"We might as well see where it goes to," he said, glancing back to them momentarily. "Come on," he continued. Susan just behind him Ian made to start when he was stopped.

"Wait," the Doctor interrupted, raising a hand. He took a step backwards away from the corridor and towards the larger room they were in. His head cocked to the side as he listened for something. When Ian and Barbara turned to look at him he shook his hand at them keeping their attention. "Listen," he instructed them. Together they all paused and listened carefully around them.

Susan's face lit up with recognition. "I can hear a ticking noise," she cried out excitedly.

"Quiet child, listen," the Doctor shushed her with another shake of his hand. He did not look her way, and instead kept his head cocked, intently listening for the noise.

Another tense moment of silence followed. Listening intently, Ian heard something and began to move, following his ears. Light on his toes, he shifted past the Doctor and followed it back through the large main room. Susan followed him closely, but the Doctor waited a moment as he listened before he followed along, also tracking the sound. "Yes," Ian murmered. "Over here somewhere," he told them as he came to a stop just past the middle of the room. Susan glanced up to him curiously.

The Doctor raised his hand deep in thought. "It's stopped now," he mused, bringing his fingers up to rest under his chin. He rested his other hand across the back of Susan's shoulders. Not so much in support, but almost absently as if to just keep her close should anything unexpected pop up. He glanced up and around, listening closely.

"Hey, there it is again!" Susan piped up, glancing between the men. They all glanced about them trying to pinpoint the origin of the ticking sound. The Doctor's eyes flitted about, as he stared off into the distance while Ian's whole body turned about as he looked around.

Ian turned round before moving to stand before one of the doors. "It's coming from in here," he concluded. He waved his hand before the circle next to the door and it opened before them. The Doctor and Susan followed after him, watching the doorway as it opened up. The Doctor rested his hand on Susan's shoulder once again as he peered through. "Ah, this is more hopeful," Ian announced, stepping into the room. "We ought to find some mercury here," he told the duo behind him.

The room was revealed to be some sort of scientific laboratory with various machines and beakers strewn about. Ian went from table to table checking the various substances and machines as he looked for the precious liquid. Near t he door was a large, angular machine still running. On its flat paneled top sat a box of knobs and dials. From the box ran out needles that marked a line on running paper with some sort of inky substance. The Doctor considered the machine carefully. "Huh," he mused aloud. "Measuring equipment," he told the others as he examined the machine. "But measuring what?" he wondered. Ian came over to look over the Doctor's shoulder. "Look here," the Doctor pointed at the lines to Ian. "Look at this drum," he instructed. He dabbed a finger onto the line and brought it up to inspect. "The ink's still quite wet," the Doctor said, wiping his finger off. "Perhaps a barometer?" he wondered.

"Perhaps," agreed Ian, glancing around the room. "Could be a seismography," he mused, reaching out to touch the paper himself. "Hard to imagine what sort of people these are," he thought out loud. "They invent all this, showing scientific knowledge,

"They're intelligent anyway," the Doctor interrupted, "very intelligent."

"Yes, but how do they use their intelligence?" Ian asked. "What form does their intelligence take?" he asked. "They invent all this, showing scientific knowledge, and yet they run away from us so hurriedly they can't wait to pick up their belongings?" he asked.

"Oh, as if that matters," the Doctor grumbled, dismissively. He pointed back to the machine before them. "What these instruments tell us is that we're in the midst of a very, very advanced civilized society," the Doctor told him.

"Here it is!" Susan's voice called out from across the room. She stood before a larger machine with some kind of horizontal scale across the back end of it. "The thing that's ticking," she explained with a big smile, "it's over here." Ian stepped away from the Doctor and walked over to get a closer look at the machine. As he stepped closer, he could clearly hear the ticking grow stronger. The Doctor followed. "It's a Geiger counter," Susan told them.

Ian startled and pointed at the scale, where the needle was wavering at the end marking the highest levels of readings. "But look at the needle," he cried. "It's past the danger point!"

"Yes, yes, that explains a lot of things, doesn't it?" the Doctor mused. Ian and Susan looked over to the old man. The Doctor brought his hand up to his chin and worried his lower lip. "A jungle turned to stone, the barren soil, and the fact that we're not feeling well," the Doctor considered, looking off to the side.

"Radiation sickness?" Ian asked, paling considerably. His voice shook some as the weight of the words filled him with dread.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," the Doctor confirmed. Susan pursed her lips. Ian felt faint as he watched the Doctor, who was looking up into the distance deep in thought. "The atmosphere here is polluted with a very high level of fallout and we've been walking around in it completely unprotected," he told them.

"What?" Ian gasped. "But how do you explain the buildings? They're intact," he argued.

The Doctor blinked. He blinked again and looked to the over his shoulder to Ian. "A neutron bomb," he finally let out. "Yes," his face seemed to light up some with comprehension. "It destroys all human tissue but leaves the buildings and machinery intact," he explained. "Yes," he nodded to himself.

"What," Ian breathed in shock. That word was too familiar to him. Before these adventures began the papers had mentioned it. The international superpowers were trying to develop a neutron bomb back home. But for it to cause such devastation to life was a hard pill to swallow. Someone named Cohen was working on it or something, Ian recalled. Shaking his head, he looked to the Doctor desperately. "But how much radiation?" he asked. "How badly?"

The Doctor's breathing, a little labored at that point, stuttered his next line. "We need-we need drugs to be treated."

Anger rising, Ian's temper flared. "But where are we going to find them?" he shouted.

Susan spoke up from behind them. "The T.A.R.D.I.S. will have to take us to another time and place where we can be cured," she told Ian.

Ian rounded on her. "But don't you remember?" he asked. "We can't move the ship until we find the mercury for the fluid link!"

Now behind them, the Doctor nervously wiped at his face with one of his hands. His eyes glanced from side to side. "For the fluid link, yes…" he started. "Yes, I'm afraid I cheated a little on that," he admitted as he stepped away from the group and turned to face them. "I was determined to see the city, but everybody wanted to go on and, well," the Doctor began pacing some. "To avoid arguments, in short, there's nothing wrong with the fluid link," he revealed, bringing the small container out from his coat pocket. Handing it to Ian, he stepped back from them.

"What?" hissed Susan as the two looked at the little vial in Ian's hand. She started after the old man. "Grandfather, do you mean to say that you risked leaving the ship just to see this place?" she asked him in shock. The Doctor wouldn't look at her.

"You fool! You old fool!" Ian called after him stepping up behind him to stand beside Susan.

"Abuse me as much as you like, Chesterton. It is typical of your adolescent attitude toward reality. The point is…" the Doctor started, straightening a little but not turning to face them. Susan glanced up at Ian before helplessly looking down. "We need an immediate return to the ship and I suggest we leave at once," the old man concluded. Now the Doctor did turn to face them and made to move towards the doorway.

Ian clutched the vial tightly in his fist and glared at the Doctor. "We're not leaving until we've found Barbara," he argued vehemently.

"Very well," the Doctor said, turning towards him. "You may stay and search for her if you wish, but Susan and I are going back to the ship. That young woman's welfare is no concern of mine. If she is irresponsible enough to get lost, then she must take the consequences," he said, coolly meeting Ian's glare. Grabbing Susan's elbow the Doctor tried tugging her towards the door. Frowning she gaped at him for a moment, and stood firm. "Come along, child," the Doctor instructed her.

"All right, carry on, fine," Ian ground out. "How far do you think you can get without this?" Ian threatened, precariously holding up the container.

"Give that to me!" the Doctor commanded and held out his hand.

"Not until we've found Barbara," Ian said, holding the vial out of the old man's reach.

The Doctor stepped closer and moved to grab at it. "Give it to me I say," he shouted.

Ian clutched the container closer to himself, tightening his fist around it. "No," he glowered at the old man. "It's time you faced up to your responsibilities. You got us here. Now I'm going to make sure that you get us back." Susan watched from beside Ian as her grandfather became more and more flustered.

"Chesterton, this is…" he started, trying to keep his calm looking away.

"We're wasting time," Ian interrupted. "We should be looking for Barbara."

Susan stepped closer to Ian opposing her grandfather. "He's right, Grandfather. We are wasting time."

"Oh, child," the Doctor scoffed, dropping his head to the side with a deep sigh. "If only you'd think as an adult sometimes…" he rested one hand on her shoulder and brought his other up as if he were explaining something important. He brought his hand up to hold his forehead and hid his face some from them. "Oh, very well, very well," he relented. He moved his hand to be around her shoulders in support as they made their way back to the door. "Let's go, let's go," he instructed them as he led the way out the door.

* * *

Stepping out the door, Susan gasped and held tightly to her Grandfather. His eyes growing, the Doctor wrapped his arms protectively around the girl and froze. Ian was the last out and stopped short at the sight before them. Four hideous machine-like creatures were positioned about them. They were legless, moving on a round base, with no human features. The machines were similar in shape to a giant upright shuttlecock and a lens on a flexible shaft acting as an eye. Metal arms with like a plunger-like apparatus protruding from their bodies and some sort of cross between a whisk and screwdriver protruded out coming from their bodies.

"You will move ahead of us and follow my directions," a mechanical voice emanated from one of them, two lights atop its head lighting up as it spoke. "This way," it instructed, spinning about as it glided atop the floor. When no one made a move to follow, the round head swiveled back and the eye piece focused on the frozen group. "Immediately!" the mechanical voice called out.

The Doctor comfortingly patted Susan's hair, and they cautiously stepped forward, watching the machines closely. Moving very slowly they stepped towards the machines and the Doctor hurried the girl beyond them where the machines wanted them to go nervously.

Ian still stood frozen at the door after the Doctor and Susan moved on. He glanced between the different machines and then down the hallway beside him.

"I said immediately!" the machine in front called out at him. Jarred into motion Ian began running down the hallway. "Fire!" shouted the Dalek. The two Daleks in closest to where Ian ran fired out a laser like beam from their whisk-ended apparatus.

Ian crumpled to the ground. Gasping, he grasped at his legs. "My legs!" he cried out, "my legs!"

"Stop!" yelled one of the Daleks as Susan tried to run over to Ian. She froze, caught between three of them and stood frozen. The Doctor hurried over to her and took her arm to try and calm her. One of the Daleks glided over to where Ian sat on the ground holding his thighs terrified.

"Your legs are paralyzed," the Dalek announced. "You will recover shortly unless you force us to use our weapons again," it said with a threat hanging on the end of the emotionless monotone. "In that case, the condition will be permanent." The top-most part of the head and eye piece swiveled over to the Doctor and Susan. "You two, help him," it instructed. The two quickly hurried over and got on either side of Ian. Together they helped him up to his feet.

"My legs!" Ian cried out again, "I can't use my legs!"

* * *

Inside of a small room, Barbara sat huddled on the floor against the back wall. She had her feet folded carefully beneath her and she cradled her head in one of her hands. The room was bare except for an empty bench along the side wall opposite to a sealed doorway. Her head rose up as she could hear a mechanical voice outside of the sealed doorway. "Stop here," it called out. Alert, she stood from the floor and shifted over before pressed herself back against the side wall. The room was shaped just so she could be out of immediate sight from outside of the doorway but she could see whatever comes in. Bracing herself she watched the door fully slide open and a huddled mass staggered in.

"Susan," she softly called out, immediately rushing over to them.

"Miss Wright!" Susan cried out in response, seeing her. As Barbara approached, Susan reached out her arm not supporting Ian to embrace the woman's arm. The Doctor also reached out and held Barbara's other arm as she took in the sight of them. Barbara glanced over Ian, checking for any signs of blood as he was being nearly fully supported by the others.

Not able to move his arms from Susan and the Doctor, Ian sagged in relief at the sight of her. "Barbara, thank heaven we've found you. Are you all right?" he asked her. When he shifted his weight, Susan had to retract her arm from Barbara to brace against Ian to keep him upright.

"Yes," Barbara answered as she shifted to help support the Doctor on his side. "What's the matter? What's happened?" she asked them worriedly.

"Oh, I'm all right," Ian sighed, trying to down play his handicap. He looked down away from Barbara's worried gaze.

"He tried to get away and they hurt him," explained Susan from his side.

Concerned, Barbara again glanced over Ian's body. "Can't you stand up?" she asked.

"Not without help," Ian admitted. Beside him the Doctor let out a huff. "The feeling's coming back, though. Don't worry."

Barbara helped the group over to the large bench. "Come over here," she said. Together they were able to get Ian and the Doctor sitting down before Susan collapsed into a sitting position, panting with exertion. She fanned one of her hands at her face to cool down. The Doctor puffed tiredly from where he sat on the other side of Ian.

"How about you, Barbara?" Ian persisted looking up at her. "We tried to look for you and those machines caught us."

Gently Barbara sat down between Ian and the Doctor. "They trapped me in some sort of lift," she told them. "It seemed to go down for ages."

"But they didn't hurt you?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Ian, what are they?" Barbara asked.

Looking away from her, he shook his head. "I don't know," he looked back to her suddenly. "Barbara, did you notice anything? I mean, when they were moving you about?" he asked, moving his hand about. "Any little thing may help us," he told her.

Barbara shifted in her seat and thought carefully. "No, nothing much. They moved me from floor to floor, always in lifts," she said. Ian reached up to loosen his tie. "Where we are now must be miles underground," she mused. "Well, there wasn't any furniture now I come to think about it."

"I'm afraid that's not very much help," mumbling, Ian unfastened the top most button on his collar in exhaustion.

Barbara continued thinking hard. "Ian…" she began. "Do you think they really are just machines?" she asked.

"What do you mean," he asked confused. His brows furrowed.

"Well I was going to say… Do you think there's someone inside them?" she asked, glancing about at Susan and the Doctor. Susan let out a loud laugh. Seeing Barbara's solemn face, she cut herself off and looked away.

Ian gave the idea a thought. "Now that's a point," he considered out loud. "We haven't any idea what's inside them."

"I tried to think of how I could get away from them…" Barbara's voice caught and she looked down. "But then I began to feel so weak and giddy," she said sadly causing Ian to glance her over concerned. "It's getting worse now," she told him, sitting back to rest against the wall. He sat straighter and leaned closer. "I think they must have drugged me in some way," she said, closing her eyes to rest her head back against the wall.

Ian took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's not that," he told her, pulling her attention to him. "Barbara," she opened her eyes and looked at him. "We've all got radiation sickness, all of us. The Doctor's pretty badly hit," he nodded over towards the old man slumped back in his seat against the wall. Barbara glanced over to him.

"How do you know it's radiation?" she asked, hoping beyond hope this was some sort of mistake.

"We found a Geiger counter," Susan answered. "It seems that all the time we've been in the open, we've been exposed to it," she explained.

Barbara glanced between Susan and Ian. "Well what's going to happen to us?" she asked them.

The Doctor's tired voice croaked out from her other side quietly. "Well, unless… Unless we get treatment, we shall die," he said, his eyes still closed. "Yes, we shall die." Horrified, Barbara looked back to Ian.

* * *

In another room a view of the prisoners can be seen on a small screen along the wall. Beneath the screen circular dials were being controlled by two Daleks who seemed to be watching the exchange amongst the group. These dials, while circular, were different from the door controllers. They spun around and had triangular notches on them signifying where on the dial the pointers were. Complicated circuitry ran below the dials and into the walls and machines all about them. A vague but constant sound of rushing water could be heard from behind the walls.

"Bring in the old man," one of the Daleks commanded. "Two hundred days ago, the radiation count was 93," it continued. The other Dalek turned its head to listen. "It is now 58," the mechanical voice continued, "an impressive reduction."

"It is still enough to destroy," the other Dalek countered. "Our unexpected visitors are showing preliminary stages of sickness already."

"We know the Thals are able to live on the surface," the first Dalek argued, "and that they must have found immunity."

"Perhaps it is a drug," the second put out there. "Is it failing them now?" it asked. "Why are these four showing signs of radiation sickness?"

"A few questions will reduce the mystery."

Together they turned round to see the doorway sliding open and a third Dalek pushed the Doctor through. He stumbled a couple of steps before regaining his balance some. He stepped into a circle of bright light coming down from a skylight window highlighting a simple chair and squinted before taking a step back from the brightness. "Do not move out of the light," instructed one of the Daleks. Obeying, the Doctor swayed forward some to be under the brilliant light. "Sit down," the Dalek continued. The Doctor perched himself on the edge of the seat. "I can understand your reluctance to tell us anything. But you'll have to tell us. Now, you are one of the Thal people?" the Dalek asked.

"I don't understand you," the Doctor answered, his face scrunched up some with thought.

The Dalek spoke again. "Why are you suffering from radiation?" it asked.

"Why?" the Doctor asked. "Because we were not aware of it until it was too late, that's why," he explained, looking down.

"No," interrupted the other Dalek. "That is not true," it boomed in its grating mechanical voice. "We know the Thals have existed outside our city," it continued. "The truth is, your supply of drugs has failed and you came into the city to see if you could find more." The first Dalek glided across the floor past the Doctor's form to be stationed behind him. "As Thals you will be tried for the Thals' war crimes committed long ago, and for starting the neutron war two thousand years ago," the voice boomed.

"No, no," argued the Doctor. "Thals? What are you even talking about?" he asked. "We're not Thals, or whatever you may call them," he persisted, "can't you see we are very ill?"

The Dalek behind him spoke up. "You and your companions need a drug to stay alive."

"We have no drugs," the Doctor said. He then looked down thinking hard. "A drug? Drugs?" he mumbled to himself. A thought suddenly struck him, "the drugs left outside the T.A.R.D.I.S."

The Dalek before him focused its eye piece on him more closely. "Tardis?" it asked. "He is becoming delirious," it announced to the other Dalek, "I do not understand his words."

Moving quickly, the Doctor stood up and pointed at the Dalek. "You listen to me…" he began.

"Stay in the light!" the machine interrupted.

The Doctor immediately stepped back into the light but remained standing. "My friends and I are travelers," the Doctor argued. "We did find something in the forest near our encampment. They may be the drugs you're referring to," he told them. "Why not let one of us go and bring the vials here?" he offered, "and under guard, if necessary."

"We cannot move outside the city," the Dalek responded.

"Very well, then," the Doctor said. "Let one of us go and hold the others until he returns," he bartered.

"Providing whoever you send understands the rest of you will be held responsible for his return," the machine agreed.

"He will have our lives in his hands. That is enough."

"Then we agree," the Dalek said.

The Doctor, exhausted, dropped down to sit in the chair once again. He looked up to the Dalek before him. "Tell me something about the people, the Thals," he asked, swaying in his seat some.

"Two thousand years ago there were two dominant races on this planet, we, the Daleks, and the Thals," the mechanical voice told him. The Doctor listened intently. "After the neutronic war, we have avoided neutronic poisoning because of our protective machines and our Dalek forefathers retired into the city," it explained.

The Doctor looked up. "And the Thals?" he asked.

"Most of them perished in the war, but we know that there are survivors," it replied. "They must be disgustingly mutated, but the fact that they have survived tells us they must have a drug that preserves the life force to ensure their survival," it continued.

"And knowing that these mutated creatures exist outside the city, you're willing to send one of us in amongst them?" the Doctor demanded with anger.

"As you say yourself, all of your lives depend on it," it replied. The Doctor closed his eyes in defeat.

* * *

Back in the small room, Ian was standing with the assistance of Barbara and Susan on each side of him. Together they supported him as he marginally shuffled his feet. Very slowly with their help he was able to take a couple of stuttering steps. Watching their feet the group turned at the end of the room to start their way again to the bench. "Is it any easier," Barbara asked Ian.

"Yes," he answered, "I think it is." Shifting his arms from across the girls' shoulders, he only held on to their arms. "I'm going to try and stand on my own," he warned them.

"Be careful," cautioned Susan as she took hold of his forearm. On his other side Barbara kept her hands up ready to reach out should he stumble.

"I'll be all right," Ian said, not sounding entirely too sure. Getting his bearings together he let go of the girls and Susan released his arm. "Huh, that's not too bad, is it?" he asked Barbara with a grin. Swaying some his grin slipped and he waved his arms to keep from tottering over. As Susan began to reach out he waved her back and determinedly shifted about trying to keep standing.

"Why don't you sit down for a minute?" Barbara offered nervously. Tensely she kept her hands up ready to grab him if he swung too far in one direction. Susan watched his feet.

"No, no, no. I'll be all right," he argued. Barbara hesitantly lowered her hands. He then took a step away from the girls. The following step was not so lucky and he went crashing to the ground with a loud groan. Worried, the girls hurried to him and helped him back up to his feet. "No good," he said, berating himself.

Shifting an arm under his, Barbara guided them towards the bench. "Come and just sit down," she told him gently. "It'll wear off in time."

Susan slug Ian's other arm over her shoulders and helped maneuver him over. Working together and with Ian hobbling along they managed to get him onto the bench. Barbara tiredly let out a sigh and sat down next to him, holding her forehead. Standing before them breathless, Susan wiped at her forehead with the back of her palm. Her headache growing, Barbara brought up her other hand and let her head cradle in her palms as Ian watched on.

"How are you feeling, Barbara?" he asked her.

Barbara dragged her hands through her hair before clenching her fists on her lap. "Not too good," she admitted, staring down at her fists.

"Susan?" Ian asked, turning his head to glance at the girl.

Still a little breathless, she rubbed a sore spot somewhere on her lower back. She glanced over the two of them. "Well, it doesn't seem to have affected me as much as the rest of you," she answered. Behind them the door slid open and the Doctor was shoved into the room. "Grandfather," Susan called out, rushing over to him as he stumbled into the room. Barbara stood and took his other arm to steady him.

"Are you all right?" Ian asked from his spot on the bench.

The old man seemed a little dazed as he gathered his bearings. He let the girls guide him over to the bench and sat down heavily, catching his breath. The group watched him closely. "In a moment," he panted when Susan began to ask him what had happened. Absently he patted her arm comfortingly. After a few moments more he began speaking. "The vials of drugs left outside the T.A.R.D.I.S., remember?" he asked the group.

"Yes," Barbara answered, "what about them?"

"It's possible that they may have been anti-radiation gloves…" he told them. The three glanced at one another quickly at the news. "Drugs," the Doctor corrected himself. "I-I can't be certain, but it does give us a chance," he said, patting Ian's knee. Everyone listened intently. "The people here, whoever they may be, are very eager to get hold of them."

Ian glanced about them. "None of us are in very good shape to go and get them," he observed.

Barbara started at that and turned to him. "Oh," she said, "I can do it." She kept her voice light to cover her nerves.

"No," argued Ian. "It must be me."

Barbara's brows furrowed and she stared at him. "You can't walk!" she argued.

Not backing down Ian wouldn't look at her. "No, I'll be all right in a couple of hours," he promised. Barbara frowned at him heavily.

"Whoever goes," interrupted the Doctor, "must be very careful." He turned from where he sat on the bench seeking a more comfortable position. "As far as I can ascertain, the creatures out there are the ones who dropped the box," he said. "They're called Thals," he whispered, leaning closer to the group, "they're mutations."

Barbara glanced down to Susan who looked away. The girl thought back to the hand that touched her out in the forest. Barbara looked back to the Doctor.

"So it wasn't our captors who left the drugs behind?" Ian asked.

"No," agreed the Doctor. He brought his feet up on the bench to better recline. "If they were drugs," he mused. Ian turned to help the Doctor lie back to rest against the wall as Susan helped. "I've learnt quite a lot from the Daleks."

"The who?" Ian asked, as everyone leaned in.

"The Daleks, our captors here," the Doctor explained. "Oh, if I didn't feel so good," he lamented. "But I was right about the neutron bomb. The Daleks built this underground city as a kind of huge shelter." From the other side of the bench Barbara ran a hand through her hair, supporting her scalp from a burst of pain from her headache before it passed and she lowered her hand.

Seeing the Doctor starting to drift off some, Ian shook him. "But what about the…" stumbling he waved his hand about, "what do you call them? The Thals?" he asked. The Doctor's attention focused and he turned back to Ian. "I mean, how did they survive out there? They…"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't…" he started to say, very quietly. He didn't finish that sentence, however, and drifted off to sleep.

"Doctor?" Ian asked, shaking his shoulder. Concerned Susan leaned closer on the bench and examined his face. "Doctor?" Ian tried again. The Doctor let out a sigh but didn't awaken. "I must get that drug quickly," Ian quietly said to himself, watching the old man closely.

Susan brought her hands up to her grandfather's cheeks and started. "He's burning hot," she exclaimed, her voice choking. She again touched his face with her palms, checking his forehead and then his cheeks. Bringing her hands lower she loosened the bow at his collar to open it up some for better air circulation.

Ian brought up a hand to see for himself. "Yes," he agreed. "As soon as they take me to the surface, I'll ask for water," he promised. He turned his head to face Susan who was still fumbling with the collar's button. "In the meantime, you must keep him as cool as you possibly can," he instructed her. Glancing back to the old man's face, Ian's face suddenly lit up, "I think there's some life coming back into my toes!" he quietly exclaimed. He shifted and started feeling about his legs down to his feet excitedly.

Concerned, Susan looked over to him. "You can't go alone, Mr. Chesterton," she said. "I have to go with you." From Ian's other side Barbara watched them interact.

"No," he told the young girl. "I want you to stay here, Susan," he said with a note of finality.

"But I can't. I must go with you," she began.

With a frown he interrupted, "Don't argue with me!"

"You can't get into the ship!" she cried.

He paused for a moment, startled. Considering the girl he tried again, "all right," he said. "Then give me the key," he told her.

Susan shook her head. "It's not just a question of turning the key," she told him. "The whole lock comes away from the door."

"Susan, supposing these Daleks insist that only one of us goes," he tried to reason, stumbling only slightly over the name. "Then I'll have to take the key and I'll have to go one trying until the door opens," he argued.

"No," she said, "you'd jam the lock." She let out an aggravated sigh. "Look," she told him, "it's a defense mechanism. There are twenty-one different holes inside the lock. There's one right place and twenty wrong ones. If you make a mistake, you'll…" she stopped and waved her hands about in a jumbled manner. "Well, the whole inside of the lock will melt," she concluded.

Ian gaped at her for a moment before letting out a breath and hanging his head. "There's nothing else for it, then," he said in a defeated tone. "We must go together." Susan nodded solemnly at his words. "Come on," he told her, "let's see if I can walk yet." Resting one hand on Susan's shoulder, he only needed minimal support for Susan to stand. Beside him Barbra stood and reached out to support Ian from his other side. "No, it's all right, Barbara," he told her. "You take it easy and rest," he requested. With a nod, Barbara sat back down on the bench, watching the two. "My right leg is better, you know," he said, more to himself. Taking one step forward that right leg gave out from under him and he fell back to a sitting position on the bench. Barbara leaned over to make sure he didn't fall from the seat. Frustrated he grabbed his legs and shook them. "I've got feeling in this one," he remarked as he shook his right. "But the left is just pins and needles," he continued, shaking his left.

The door slid open and a Dalek glided into the room. Everyone looked up and watched it. It came to stand just before the group, swiveling to face them all together. Briefly the eye piece looked at each of them individually. "You must leave now," the grainy mechanical voice commanded.

"I'm not well enough yet," argued Ian.

The machine shifted to focus in on Ian. "You must leave now," it commanded again.

"My legs are still…!" Ian began shouting.

"Which one of you is going?" the voice asked to the group, looking at everyone in turn.

Barbara licked her lips and opened her mouth to speak when in silent indignation Ian carefully stood up. Susan and Barbara watched him in concern. Taking a steadying breath, Ian slowly shuffled forward one step. He was able to make it three small steps before he went crashing down to the floor. With a gasp Susan rushed over to where he lay. She grasped his arm and helped him stand to his feet.

Turning to face the Dalek, Ian pleaded with it. "You must give me more time," he begged the creature. Together with Susan Ian shuffled back to where he had been sitting on the bench.

"Can't you see how weak he is?" Susan cried, turning towards the Dalek.

The eye piece focused in on her. "There are others," it countered.

Barbara then made to stand up. She swayed some on her feet and Ian grabbed her arm. When she started swaying even more Ian tugged her back down to the bench. "The whole room's going round," she said, taking a steadying breath with her eyes closed. After a moment she made to stand up again, but dizzy she shifted her weight to the side and almost fell over.

Ian glanced from Barbara down to his legs and then over towards the Doctor slumped unconscious against the wall. He then looked up to Susan. Terrified she met his gaze. "Must I?" she asked him. "Alone?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Barbara tried to stand again. "You can't let her go alone," she said to Ian, "she's just a child." Unable to stand, she turned to Ian. "Plead with them. Anything, please," she begged him, her eyes glistening. Exhausted, Barbara couldn't sit up fully and fell back against the wall.

"Susan," Ian said, taking the girl by her arms. "You see how ill we all are," he told her. "We all can't afford to wait until I can walk. An hour might make all the difference," he begged her.

Susan shook her head. "I'm so afraid," she cried.

"Go on," he told her. She looked everywhere but at him. She looked to where her grandfather lay against the wall. She looked to where Barbara now couldn't sit up. Ian continued watching her, and she took a steadying breath and nodded her head. "Yes," she agreed.

"And don't stop for anything," he told her. "Straight there, straight back," he said.

The mechanical voice called out to them. "Are you ready?" it asked.

"Yes, yes, all right," Ian called out to it. He looked back towards Susan. Giving her arms a comforting squeeze, he let her go.

Susan stepped towards the Dalek and held her head up high. "I'm coming now," she said trying to appear confident. The shaking of her voice couldn't be hid, though. Silently the Dalek gestured her on through the door with the weaponized whisk-like arm it had. Susan walked to the door and glanced back. Before she could say anything else, the Dalek slid over to her and nudged her forward with its plunger. Together they made their way out and the door slid shut behind them.

"Ian…" Barbara said, her eyes still closed. She held her head trying to make the room stop moving. "The others… in the forest," she continued, "he said that they were mutations."

"Well what else could I do?" he asked her, running his hand through his hair. Dragging his hand down his face, he then balled his hand into a fist. Bringing it down, he hit his left thigh in frustration. He brought it down again and again.

* * *

In the observation room two of the Daleks watched the prisoners with interest. One of them shifted around as the doorway behind them opened up. In slid another Dalek, alone. Now the other Daleks of the room turned to face the newcomer. The all regarded it closely. "The child has set out," the new Dalek said.

"Her direction is being followed on the rangerscopes?" one of the Daleks asked it. The little lights on its head lit up with each word.

"Yes," the Dalek replied.

"Mark her movements carefully," the second Dalek commanded. "If there are more Thal people living in the jungle, she will try to contact them."

Little lights on the top of the new Dalek lit up. "I understand," it replied. "If she returns with the drugs, am I to allow the prisoners to use it?" it asked.

"No," another Dalek spoke up. "They will die in time," it continued, "their only value is in bringing us enough of the Thal drug to duplicate it for our own use."

Excitedly all the Daleks started chattering together. "Yes," one cried out, "at last we have a chance!"

* * *

Back in the room, the Doctor still lay unconscious. Barbara raised an unsteady hand and pressed the back of her palm to the Doctor's cheek. "I think he's getting worse," she said, feeling about the man's face.

"How long did the Doctor say we'd last without treatment?" Ian asked her. "Forty-eight hours?" he asked.

"I don't know," Barbara replied shaking her head. She stopped the movement mid-shake suddenly and closed her eyes scrunching up her face with pain. "It… it's hit him so badly, Ian," she said sadly, gently patting the Doctor's hair.

"Yes," Ian agreed solemnly. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

Barbara brought her hand back to her lap. "Oh, I ache all over," she admitted. "I have difficulty in keeping my eyes open," she added.

Beside her Ian nodded. "Yes, I'm about the same," he told her. Ian glared at the Doctor. "All his fault," he frowned. "Had to have his own way, see the city," he grumbled.

"Oh Ian," Barbara interrupted him. "That doesn't help us any to say such things," she said.

"I know, I know," Ian muttered, throwing his head back in frustration.

"We must wait," she told him, "that's all we can do."

Ian nodded. "Wait, yes," he agreed. "An hour ago I thought we might try and escape, watch their movements, make a plan. There's always a chance," he told her. He shook his head dejectedly. "Now we're too late," he muttered. "I think if they left the doors wide open we wouldn't have the strength to crawl through them," he said, his voice rising.

"How long has she been gone now?" Barbara asked.

Ian shifted and brought his wrist up to his face. Pushing his sleeve back he checked his watch. "About an hour now," he replied, "she should just be on the edge of the jungle by now."

* * *

Out in the jungle a streak of lightning lit up the forest as thunder crashed through the silent sky. The trees were momentarily thrown into darkness as the light passed until seconds later more lightning cracked down. Despite the intense show of light and sound, the ground remained dry as no rain fell from the clouds. Through the foliage Susan ran as quickly as she could, coughing here and there as she went. Panting she looked about her trying to remember the way. A particularly loud bout of thunder startled her and she paused to rest against the trunk of one of the trees. Glancing about her, she pushed off from the trunk and started off again, panting as she went. As she ran through the trees she wasn't able to see the dark shadows about her. Tall figures watched as she went. Exhausted Susan tripped over a large root protruding from the ground and found herself sprawled about on the ground. Not wanting to waste time, she quickly tried to get back up. As she began to raise up she let out a gasp as she looked up before her. Scrambling back, she cried out.

* * *

Ian and Barbara had helped the Doctor to lay flat along the bench. Ian's legs were now strong enough to stand on his own, but not for long as exhaustion wore heavily on him. Barbara dabbed at the old man's head with a small cloth. "He's burning up," she commented, concerned, "it… it's like a fever," she said.

"Yes," Ian agreed, checking over the old man as well. "His breathing's so bad," he said, watching the old man's chest raise and fall irregularly. "What do you think, Barbara?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "Even if Susan got back now, I don't know whether she'd be in time," she admitted quietly. "Give… give me his coat," she asked. Reaching out behind him Ian fumbled a bit before grabbing the cloth and handing it over. Barbara folded the coat together and slid it under the Doctor's head. Standing up, she started to sway again.

"Barbara," Ian said, reaching out and taking hold of her, "come on now," he said, tugging her towards an open spot on the bench.

"No, no, I-I'm all right," she argued.

"Sit down," he told her, helping her down. "You rest," he told her, "you can't do anything more for him right now."

"It-it's so hot in here," she sighed out, closing her eyes.

"Yes, now you try and get some rest, Barbara," Ian said. Leaning over, he took hold of her legs and helped to bring them up on the bench so she could lay against the wall. "Try and sleep," he told her.

Barbara let out a breath and sighed again. "Yes," she said, "I'd like to sleep." Ian felt her forehead with his palm before smoothing her hair down gently. As she closed her eyes Ian stood up and dragged his other hand down his face.

His legs feeling better, Ian tried to walk across the room. As he made it to the wall he doubled over. "Hurry, Susan," he whispered, "hurry!"

* * *

In the forest, Susan scrambled back to a crouching position. Terrified, she clambered back and started running in the opposite direction. Running with all her might, Susan cried as she tried to navigate between the hanging vines coming down from the trees.

* * *

Four Daleks stood together in the control room. "I have just come from the prisoners," one let out, its lights flashing. "The old man is dying," it continued.

"Then he must die," the Dalek across from it said coldly. "There is not help we can give him," it continued. "How are the others?" it asked.

"The woman is sleeping very heavily. The young man fights against it," the first Dalek answered.

This time the third Dalek spoke up to the group. "What of the girl," it asked, "has she reached the jungle?"

"Yes," now the fourth answered. "The rangerscopes tracked her that far," it said, "but now they have lost her."

* * *

Lighting strikes started spacing farther and farther out, causing the jungle to be cloaked in more darkness than before. The unmoving trees didn't so much as sway a leaf from the howling of the storm. Ahead of Susan the T.A.R.D.I.S. came into view and she let out a cry of relief. Collapsing against a tree trunk beside her, she glanced around her as she tugged the necklace with her keys out from her blouse' collar. Susan jogged the couple of steps over to the door and bent over the lock, fiddling with the keys.

* * *

Inside the T.A.R.D.I.S. the console room remained the same as before they had left. Rushing inside, Susan's shoulders sagged with relief. The doors behind her swung towards one another but didn't quite latch together. She briefly looked around before heading over to the table along one of the walls. Upon the table lay the small metal canister with the drugs. Picking it up Susan hugged the container to her chest. She caught her breath a moment and began to walk towards the hallway leading farther into the ship. Pausing, she thought back to Ian's words to head straight back and how even an hour could make all the difference. "I must," she told herself, "I must."

A noise started up and a light shone from the console of the ship. Susan looked up to find a widening shadow on the wall ahead of her. The outer doors were opening back up. She turned in terror just as a loud crack of thunder sounded and lightning lit up the outside skies. The shadow disappeared from the walls. Her face contorted in terror she glanced between the vials she held and the hallways in the T.A.R.D.I.S. a few times. Taking a large swallow of air, she stepped outside.


End file.
